I Hate Pink Flamingos
by AdamaGirl
Summary: Against her better wishes, Sharon Raydor heads to Miami for a nation-wide police conference. While there, she renews ties with a certain Vice-cop she met there 20 years ago. Shameless references to Battlestar Galactica and Miami Vice! Chapter 30- the final chapter, is now posted!
1. Chapter 1: The Set-Up

_**Disclaimer: Major Crimes is the property of James Duff, and I'm just borrowing Sharon Raydor and the others, for fun. I do not own them, nor do I own characters from Miami Vice or Battlestar Galactica- they are owned by Anthony Yerkovich and Ronald D. Moore, respectively.**_ _  
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 _ **A/N: I started writing this story back in late-summer 2014, so back then Assistant-Chief Russell Taylor was still alive... Sharon was still Captain of the Major Crimes unit... still married to Jack... and her adoption of Rusty had been yet to be finalized. Those facts remain true in this multi-chapter story.**_

CHAPTER 1

Captain Sharon Raydor paused briefly, before knocking on Assistant-Chief Taylor's door. Perhaps if she didn't rap too hard, he wouldn't hear, and she could pretend her boss was away from his office.

Damn, but it wasn't like her. Afraid to face a challenge.

She'd faced down bullets, hardened criminals, Jackson Raydor, teenage children, and one Brenda Leigh Johnson...

She could do this.

Just as Sharon was about to knock, the door opened.

"Captain. It's good to see you."

Shit. The man was in a good mood. Taylor was rarely in a good mood. In the long run, that probably would not bode well for her cause.

"It's good to see you, too, Chief," Sharon replied with a swallow.

Taylor ushered her into his office, and offered her a chair. Sharon declined, preferring to stand. She'd keep things as positive and light as possible. It would not take long to plead her case. He'd have to accept, and that would be that.

Or, she could just cut and run without saying a word.

"You wanted to see me?"

Sharon watched as Taylor shuffled papers on his desk. "Yes."

"About?"

She took the chair after all, hoping that if she faced him eye-to-eye, he'd be more receptive. See her as an equal. Agree to her suggestion. Her plea.

"The upcoming conference," Sharon stated in her usual even and rational tone. Nary a trace of her inner nervousness showed. "In Miami."

Taylor actually grinned. "You lucky ducks, you. It's been two years since the meetings were held last, and they were up in Portland. As in, Oregon. I went. It rained. Every damn day." The man handed her a colorful brochure. "That isn't gonna happen in the Sunshine State. Every day will be like Spring Break for you, and the team."

Sharon's shoulders fell slightly. "I know."

"Ah-ha! So, you've been there before?" he asked with a chuckle.

Indeed. The glossy ad in her hands, advertising all that Miami had to offer, only exacerbated the memories she had of her past visit.

The music, and the heat... they went hand in hand. Both were distinctly different from that of Los Angeles, no doubt due to their tremendous influence by the Caribbean. Hotter. Wetter. As if the air itself could open up at anytime, in one giant and colossal release.

Which, on one particular occasion, it did.

Sharon had never danced so much in her life, as she did that night. And in the rain. She could still feel her partner's hand pressed into the small of her back.

At that thought, the captain clinched her knees tightly together.

"Chief Taylor, you are the most senior officer of this unit. By all rights, you ought to be the one to represent us." _And not me_ , she wanted to add.

"Would if I could." He leaned back in his chair. "But I've got two weddings, one graduation, health exams, and tickets to the opera, all scheduled for that week. Believe me, I've tried getting out of all of them- especially the opera, only to be threatened by a painful and certain death by the hands of my wife."

"I see."

"Besides, you've earned this."

Sharon shook her head. "Chief, I can't. I have too much happening right now. Rusty. My divorce. Work. It's-"

"All the more reason you should go," suggested Taylor. "Take the boy with you. It'll be good for you both to get away. A chance to relax."

"Pardon me for saying, sir, but you are not a mother. How could I possibly be able to relax while attending meetings all day, all the while worrying about a teenager running around unattended, in South Beach?"

"Do what every conventioneer does. Buy the DVDs, and watch them on the flight home."

The woman was at a loss for words at such a statement.

"Look, Sharon," Taylor appealed. His voice was quiet and sincere, as he all but pulled her towards the doorway of his office. "You deserve this. Rusty deserves this. You'll have fun. Provenza and Sykes are going too, and they can fill you in on things you might miss at the conference. So, you have nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about," the captain repeated.

In her heart, she knew he was right.

A real vacation would be wonderful for Rusty. And for her. They'd both been through so much together over the past couple years. A chance to just get away, sounded so good.

Dear God, they needed that.

But her brain told her otherwise. It was same exact advertisement she'd sold herself twenty years prior. She couldn't fall for it again.

"Can you honestly give me one good reason why, given all of these circumstances, you should not go to Miami?"

Sharon Raydor could think of hundreds of little reasons, all surrounding one very big one.

Instead, she could only choke out a feeble attempt at the truth. It was a reason that Russell Taylor would never begin to understand.

"I hate pink flamingos."

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	2. Chapter 2: En Route

**_A/N Many thanks to my reviewers- I hope you have as much fun reading this story series as I have in writing it!_**

CHAPTER 2

"Are you alright, Rusty?"

The teen cautiously turned his attention towards his guardian, and away from the seat back that he'd been staring at for the last few minutes. He had a vice grip on the arm rests of his own seat, and a tablet device running a chess game laying unattended in his lap.

"Um, yeah," he lied. "I'm just not real good with flying."

"You'll be okay, Kid," Provenza offered across from the aisle. "Just try to get your mind on something else." Frowning at his tray-table, the older man growled, "Like how much we're being overcharged just for the right to feed our stomachs. And for what? Eight dollars for a tissue paper-thin piece of turkey rolled up inside a flour tortilla. A mealy apple, and a stale oatmeal cookie? If this could potentially be my last meal on Earth, then I'd like it at least to be edible!"

Sharon glared past Rusty, and towards Provenza. "You're not helping, Lieutenant."

Detective Sykes peeked over the back of her seat, facing both Sharon and Rusty, like a little girl on her way to Disney World. "Think of something happy, Rusty. Like hitting the beach, once we get to the hotel."

"Because clearly, we don't have anything like it in Los Angeles."

"Rusty," hissed Sharon.

"But it's frakking true!" he whined.

"RUSTY!"

Sharon bit her bottom lip. The swear word, 'Frak', made-up as it was, from a TV show, was one of their agreed household allowances. It was used, with great measure, for everything good and bad, in place of the original F-word. Often, it resulted in shared laughter, afterwards.

Still, in that moment, she was beginning to lose patience.

The teen flopped his head back against his seat. "You're no better, Sharon. You've been dreading this trip since day one. Don't think I haven't noticed you giving yourself private pep talks. At home. In the car. At work, in the break room..."

Sykes raised an neatly groomed eyebrow. "When the two of us flew up to Denver a couple of weeks ago to extradite that baby killer, you had no problem with flying then. So what gives, Captain?"

Sharon crossed her arms. "No comment."

"It wouldn't have anything to do with your aversion to pink flamingos, would it, Captain?" Sykes asked pointedly. When her superior glared back at her, Sykes shrugged. "That's what Flynn heard from Taylor."

"And God knows Andy can't keep a secret," Provenza groused. When he heard Sharon sigh, he changed his tone and lightly teased, "Me thinks the lady captain has an aversion to the Magic City."

Ms. Raydor closed her eyes, hoping to block out the questioning looks from her fellow travelers. Perhaps Rusty's fears of their plane's eminent demise might become reality, she hoped darkly.

"Think happy thoughts," Rusty whispered into her ear, and patted her hand a few minutes later.

Instead of being full of attitude and snarky comebacks, he was acting like the young man she'd come to love as much as if he'd been born from her very own womb. Genuine and caring.

"Thank you, Mr. Beck."

Sharon squeezed Rusty's shoulder, and burrowed herself into the flimsy airline pillow as best as possible.

 _Happy thoughts..._

 _Gentle, salty air breezes..._

 _Waves, lapping upon the powdery shore..._

 _A blanket of stars, unfolding as if by magic, overhead..._

 _Distant music plays inside my body..._

 _I can feel warmth from behind, and strong arms surrounding me..._

 _The taste of rum is sweet on my lips..._

 _And on his..._

 _It is good._..

Upon that last memory, Sharon's eyes flew open.

"No. No. No."

Once on her feet, she all but jumped over the legs of a startled Rusty, who was seated on the aisle, and retreated to the plane's rather thankfully unoccupied lavatory.

Locking herself inside the compartment, Sharon gripped at the stainless steel of the vanity counter, and took several deep cleansing breaths to regain her composure.

This was ridiculous. She was sixty-two years old. Successful in her career. Happy in her life. She had her family. Rusty. Co-workers. Not a lot of friends, but a few that counted greatly. Her days, and nights, were more than full. She certainly didn't need-

Sharon caught her reflection in the mirror.

Damn, but she looked like a woman on the verge of... an orgasm!

Maybe it was just a holdover of the menopause she'd long thought to have kicked in the ass. A last niggling little hot flash, sent to remind herself of a very bad period of time in her life.

And the man who tried to help.

"Don't even go there," she told herself.

Wetting a paper towel, Sharon wiped at her heated skin, hitting all the high points. Her wrists. Neck, both in the front and in the back, beneath her auburn mane. She lifted the hem of her aqua blue Eileen Fisher sweater, and dabbed at her core, finding great relief there. Desperately, she wanted to unsnap her bra and cool her heaving chest, but that had the potential for either a positive or negative outcome. As it was, she was already stimulated enough. Not taking the risk, Sharon sat on the closed lid of the toilet, kicked off her comfortable wedges, and mopped at the soles of her feet.

Later, once she returned to her seat, she'd order herself something to drink.

No rum. Definitely, no rum.

Putting herself back together, Sharon looked herself over, once again. She was quite presentable, actually. Just a hint of what would appear to others as an enviably healthy blush, highlighted her cheeks. A tube of lip gloss from her pocket of her pin-stripe slacks, helped complete the picture.

Satisfied, she fluffed her hair, and readjusted her glasses.

The mask of Captain Sharon Raydor was firmly in place.

Just because what happened once, so very long ago, didn't mean it would happen again...

"I won't let it."

She hummed softly at her own statement, unsure if she was happy or sad at the notion.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	3. Chapter 3: Check-In

CHAPTER 3

"Name, please."

"Sharon Raydor. Captain of the Los Angeles Police Department Major Crimes Division. I've made arrangements for my son, Russell Beck, to serve as my guest."

The woman at the registration desk checked her computer, then produced a packet of convention information and two laminated name badges. "Sign here, Captain Raydor, and you're good to go. Have a wonderful time here in Miami!"

After scrawling her signature on the form, Sharon smiled and thanked the woman, then joined Rusty, who stood nearby on the fringes of the busy lobby's check-in area, nursing a Starbucks Venti-sized Caramel Frappucino. It was just after 10 in the morning, local time, but it still felt like only 6, by their body clocks. Clearly, judging by the boy's sleepy appearance, he was still on Pacific time, rather than Eastern.

"It's not a Comic-Con all-access pass, but here you go," Sharon said as she handed Rusty his police convention I.D.

"Thanks, Mom. All my friends back home will be, like, SO jealous!"

Sharon rolled her eyes, knowing full well that Rusty was quite happy and excited to be there with her on the trip. "I hope that you don't mind that I referred to you as my son. Things aren't final yet with your adoption, but-"

"It's kinda nice," Rusty pronounced. "I like hearing it."

Such words melted her.

"Okay! Now that I've completed the check-in requirements, I thought we could do something fun."

"Like what?"

"Sightseeing! After we got settled in our rooms last night, I did a bit of research of the area on my phone. I found a number of interesting places that we could visit. Museums. Churches. Charming old hotels. Shops. And a darling café where we could-"

When Rusty paled at her options, and remained mute, Sharon upped the ante.

"Or, we could rent a car. Get out of the city. Visit an alligator farm."

The kid nearly choked from laughter at that. "Please. The only alligators you're interested in are the ones that have been made into really expensive and uncomfortable shoes."

"Not really," she replied with a swallow. "It actually might be quite educational. Like watching something on the Discovery Channel!"

Rusty grinned out of genuine love for the woman. Unlike his birth mother, Sharon Raydor never failed to put him first, even if it was often at her own expense. He had no idea how he ever got to be so lucky as to be blessed by having her in his life.

"As much fun as that actually sounds, and honestly Sharon, I do want to spend time with you on this trip, but I kinda have plans already."

Her heart dropped. "Oh."

"Yeah. Lt. Provenza asked me to go with him to check out the vendors in the exhibition hall. All kinds of tech. Things he doesn't really understand. We're looking for new toy ideas to bring back to Tao and Buzz. Software, cameras, drones- stuff like that. Maybe we'll even get a bunch of free swag, too."

"That sounds like fun. I'll join you!"

"Well, uh..." Rusty looked sheepish. "It's like a guy thing. You know? Believe it or not, the lieutenant actually enjoys hanging out with me. And I don't mind being around him. He's like the grandpa that I never had, which is pretty nice."

Sharon hugged Rusty, and gently pressed a kiss into his fine hair. "Say no more."

"Really? Because, if you really wanted to, I'm sure Provenza wouldn't mind. Too much. I think he likes you more than he lets on."

"No. You boys have fun." Sharon went through the motions of reading the convention's extensive line-up of events and presentations. "I really do need to at least make an attempt at attending one of these things. I may even run into Sykes."

Rusty frowned slightly. "Actually, she has a family thing she has to do. Amy's Uncle Larry... he was a cop here in Miami, died when she was just a little kid. He was killed in the line of duty, and a group of his fellow squad members are getting together at his grave site today. So, she really needs to be there."

"I see."

"Did you know Amy's half-Italian?"

"No, I had no idea." Sharon couldn't help but wonder how the teen knew more about the members of her own unit than she did.

"But if you're afraid of being alone-"

"Rusty, I think I can handle being on my own for a few hours."

"What if those people over there trigger your fear of pink flamingos?"

Sharon sighed, as a middle aged couple with matching flamingo-print shirts ambled into the check-in area. "I'm not afraid of pink... I just..." Sharon hugged herself in exasperation. "Rusty, Honey, I'll be fine. I promise."

"Are you sure?" Rusty asked in all seriousness.

"Yes! Go! Play! Be young. Enjoy yourself." Sharon checked her watch. "Unless your plans change, let's meet back here, around, what say, one or one-thirty? We'll go back to the hotel for a swim, and grab a late lunch at the poolside bar."

"Mmmm, burgers!"

Sharon shook her head in adoration, as Rusty headed off in the direction of the exhibition hall, phone already in hand, and texting Provenza on where to meet up.

All at once, a knot began to form in her stomach.

What if the lieutenant couldn't hear the message alert over the chaotic din of people? If he didn't, then he and Rusty might not be able to find each other. And if that were the case, then Rusty might panic.

She should go with him, just in case. For all of his street-smart bluster, Rusty was still so young and sweet. The convention center was so large and full of people, and she loved him so much

Sharon took two steps forward, then stopped herself.

The boy didn't need a babysitter.

She did.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	4. Chapter 4: First Day Jitters

CHAPTER 4

Taking a seat in the meeting room, Sharon cursorily scanned the audience.

Business Casual and resort wear seemed to be the uniform of the day, as conventioneers mingled and networked before the presentation started. Some, laughed openly and showed off photos of their children, grandchildren, or pets, like they were at a class reunion. Many kept to themselves, checking their email and texts. One very obvious rookie to the Force, took a selfie.

Other than a few fellow LAPD officers from various units, there were no other familiar faces in attendance.

That was a good thing.

It was ridiculous, really. To be so consumed with the memory of a man she'd met, two decades in the past. They barely knew each other. How could being with someone for less than 24hrs make such an impact?

Quality versus quantity?

A corner of her mouth quirked up at the suggestion, which made her hum inside.

As it was, Sharon had thought more about him over the past month than she had of her soon-to-be ex-husband, in all the years they'd been separated.

She'd covered a good deal of ground in walking the campus of the Miami Beach Convention Center, and the surrounding area. _He_ wasn't there. Most likely wouldn't be. He was a few years older than her, and had probably already retired, and maybe even moved away.

Where did someone from Miami retire to?

Nebraska?

The distinct and very real possibility that he could have been killed in the line of duty, invaded Sharon's thoughts, and sent a chill throughout her body. They were both cops. Such a thing happened every single day.

No. He was too strong for that.

"MARTY!" shrieked a woman from out of the corner of Sharon's conscious awareness. Jolted at the sudden alarm, the captain reflexively turned around in her seat, only to see two women- one blond and in jeans and a peasant top, the other a brunette in a strikingly patterned dress, embracing like long lost sisters.

Sighing deeply, Sharon unclenched her balled fists.

Desperately needing a distraction, the captain removed her glasses for better reading ability, and turned to the single page handout given to her upon entering the lecture.

 **VENTURING INTO DARKNESS - How The Psychopathic Mind Operates**

 **by C. A. Brown, M.D.**

The speaker and her topic, which focused on the criminally insane, was equally engaging and informative. Sharon made as many notes as possible, including one to research the doctor's extensive list of published works, and another to consider contacting her for possible consultation work on future cases.

Despite their reputation as an excuse for a vacation and partying, conferences such as the one she and her team were at, often served a positive purpose of continued education for attendees. An opportunity to obtain new ideas. Theories. Ways of doing things.

Even in law enforcement, one could never rest on one's laurels and viewpoints.

Sharon had attended a number of events, both large and small, over the course of her career. Always, she came away with something learned.

Some things more than others.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	5. Chapter 5: This Happened Before

CHAPTER 5

(20 Years Ago)

Following his introduction, Lieutenant Martin Castillo stood in silence at the podium.

He cut a serious and rather imposing figure. Dark hair, and equally dark eyes. Though not especially tall in stature, the man commanded one's attention, and his glare out to audience looked like it could be lethal if he chose it to be.

Castillo read through his notes. Took a sip of water. Cleared his throat.

When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet and surprisingly gentle.

"If you will bear with me, public speaking is not my strongest suit."

Some members of the audience laughed, perhaps in support. For others, it was a bit out of nervousness for what they'd signed up for.

The topic of the session was leadership, and Lt. Castillo certainly held the room's interest.

That was especially so of a younger Sharon Raydor, who at the time, was rising quickly in the ranks of the Los Angeles County FID. Already separated for 3 years from her husband Jack, Sharon was eager to prove herself as an officer, and also as a provider for their two young children. If she was ever to make Commander, or even Captain, she first needed to know what it took to make a good administrator.

She hoped to take away a bit of inspiration from Martin Castillo's presentation. The write-up on him had been fascinating, to say the least, and word was that he was greatly respected by his peers.

"Prior to joining the Dade-Metro P.D., I spent nearly a decade with the DEA, working an area known the Golden Triangle of South-East Asia. Each native people and culture in that region had their own set of rules to operate upon. Finding a balance between East and West was-"

"Tough as shit, I'll bet!" an attendee suggested, quite enthusiastically.

To Sharon's amazement, the stoic Castillo actually laughed, and his severe features softened. Crooked teeth flashed briefly, in a smile beneath his mustache.

"That's one way of putting it, but yes," agreed the lieutenant, before continuing on with his speech. The man's stage-fright dissipated, as stories of humorous and not-so-humorous situations during his tenure were told. No doubt they were greatly scrubbed and redacted for certain sensitive content, but the audience remained interested and entertained nonetheless.

After alluding to a painful and dangerous conclusion to his time in the East, Castillo spoke of a brief cooling off period before returning to the States.

The times had certainly been a-changing, as the famous song went. The conflict in Vietnam was over, at least from the USA's standpoint. The 80's were beginning. Americans were ready to breathe again. And Castillo had been more than ready for it.

A feeling that Sharon, the cop and separated mother of two, knew all too well in her own life.

Castillo cleared his throat again, jarring her out of her own thoughts.

"I took over Metro-Dade's OCB Vice Division when their previous commander was killed in the line of duty. It was not an easy situation to come into, and for a time, it was something I regretted doing."

He went on to discuss the clash of styles between himself, and that of Vice's detectives.

"They had to earn my respect, as I had to earn theirs."

Years later, Sharon would reflect upon his words, and effectively implement them in her own career.

But at the time, Martin Castillo's heartfelt statement seemed only like that of a gauzy Zen platitude.

She dismissed him as just another charmer. Not unlike her husband.

How many pat cliches had Jackson Raydor dished out over the years? To her? To Ricky and Emily? Thinking about it made Sharon's blood pressure rise. She'd been wise to leave him, and the more she thought on the subject, she was starting to dislike Castillo just as much.

Pissed, she got up to leave, mid-lecture.

The lieutenant cleared his throat for a third time, and fixed his gaze directly at her.

"Excuse me, Madam?"

Sharon squared her shoulders, and thinned her lips. "Yes?"

"Did I dismiss the room?"

"No."

"Are you having an emergency of some sort?"

"No."

"Then please return to your seat."

Sharon crossed her arms. "Is that an order?"

Castillo rocked back on his heels. "That depends. What's your rank?"

"Detective."

"Then, yes."

She stayed. He finished his speech.

Moments later, they nearly collided with each other at the room's exit.

"I didn't mean-"

"Yes you did."

Castillo looked at the floor, and audibly sighed. "I didn't mean to single you out. Truly. The situation presented itself, and I took it. I was just making a point."

Sharon hummed as his eyes finally met hers again. There seemed to be genuine hurt in them. It was a tough decision- between wanting to listen to the man, or kick him in the shin. "And it's well taken."

"You have my apologies, Detective."

"I wasn't asking for them, Lieutenant."

"Well, you have them anyway."

He was old-fashioned. He'd called her madam, instead of ma'am. And held the auditorium door open for her. The realization struck her as surprisingly sweet and rare.

Without thinking, she offered her hand and introduced herself. "Sharon Raydor."

"Marty Castillo," he replied, while offering his own, larger hand.

They shook firmly.

As a peace offering, they adjourned to the courtyard lounge of a nearby hotel for a late-afternoon drink, and to discuss things further. Seated in oversized wicker queen chairs, and watered-down cuba libres, they talked and talked.

She accused him of being soft with authority.

He labeled her as not trusting.

They argued.

Agreed.

Agreed to disagree.

By the time evening came, Sharon Raydor and Martin Castillo were friends.

And later, after a night of dancing, more rum, and a long walk along the beach... they became lovers.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	6. Chapter 6: It's Happening Again

CHAPTER 6

"You know, Sharon, there's this thing called Room Service."

The woman halted her pace, and fixed Rusty with a withering but loving gaze.

They'd both had a very fun and full, second day in the city. After renting a sporty blue Mini Cooper convertible for the day, the pair visited the famed Miami Seaquarium (for Rusty), the St. Bernard de Clairvaux Church (for Sharon), and in joint interest- the dramatic enigma that is the renowned Coral Castle. Lunch, squeezed into all of their sightseeing, had been a sinful combination of hot dogs and french fries at Dogma Grill.

With tired feet and slightly sunburned skin, the last thing Sharon wanted to do was get cleaned up and re-dressed, only to go back out again. She would have loved nothing more than slip into an old t-shirt and yoga pants, order in a meal, and watch a mindless pay-per-view movie on TV with Rusty.

"Yes, Rusty-honey. I am aware of that, and as much as I'd personally enjoy taking advantage of that wonderful amenity of our hotel, it was very nice of Amy to invite us all to dinner at her uncle's favorite restaurant."

Rusty shrugged, and punched the call button to the dedicated elevator to the third floor restaurant. Seconds later they were standing in the lobby area. "At least it's Italian."

"That's the spirit!" Without shame, Sharon hugged Rusty as they waited for the hostess to finish logging in a phone reservation. Rusty had grown so much, both physically and emotionally, over the past couple of years. Standing back, she admired the young man before her. "You look so nice."

"Thanks." Alone in his adjoined room, he'd sweated his choice of wardrobe for the evening. The kid had wanted to look nice, but not like he was going to a stuffy adults-only function. Still, he hoped the jeans/t-shirt/sport coat look wasn't too cliched. "You don't think this is too babyish, do you?" he asked of his shirt.

"No. Not at all. In fact, I love it," Sharon replied honestly of her son's look. The solid black T had been a premium stuck into their arrival goody bag, and featured the conference's official cartoon mascot, a sunglasses wearing dolphin (not a pink flamingo, thankfully), flashing a police badge.

Rusty breathed a sigh of relief, as he chanced a hug of his own, before standing back to admire his new mother. "You know, you look really great, yourself, Sharon."

The woman hummed at the complement, before thanking him and looping her arm in his. To be honest, she felt damn pretty at that, wearing a pink and lavender Lily Pulitzer shift and white strappy heels. The outfit was purchased specifically for their trip, and made her feel quite festive and ready to enjoy a lovely evening with her son and friends.

"Too bad Andy's not here to see you looking so hot-"

Sharon sighed at his teasing mention of Lt. Flynn, while their hostess escorted them to their reserved table.

Sykes and Provenza were waiting for them in a private upper level booth, with a commanding view of the ocean. Both looked decidedly relaxed. Amy was in a gauzy apricot sun dress, accessorized with a chunky pink coral bracelet and necklace, while Louie sported an attractively vintage bowling shirt in navy blue and tan, with navy pants.

After more hugs were exchanged all around, some more comfortably than others, the united group finally settled in, and the conversation began immediately.

"Amy, this place is wonderful! I see why it was a favorite of your uncle's," Sharon noted as she scanned the room. The restaurant, Marco's, looked as though it came directly out of the movie Casablanca. Open-air, and all done in black and white- with Spanish Colonial arched columns, stuccoed walls, and tiled floors. Potted Areca palms in dark green jardinieres acted as discreet and attractive table dividers, while lazy ceiling fans cooled the balmy air just so.

Before Sykes could get a word out, Provenza jumped in. "And the food is even better-here, try the pizza bread!"

Not standing on ceremony, Rusty made a play for the jalapeño variety and gave his enthusiastic thumb's up approval.

"I'm glad you like it, Captain," Sykes replied, finally getting an opportunity to speak. "And yes, the food is just as good as everything looks. It was a really special place to my Uncle Larry, and it is to me as well. I'm so glad you all could come."

"We wouldn't be anywhere else," Sharon stated with complete honesty, while privately willing Rusty not to laugh. As if on cue, their drinks arrived and he kept quiet while drinking his plantation iced tea like a good boy, as their friends filled them in on their day's activities.

Sykes was the first to chime in, with a detailed balance of work and play. Her day included an invigorating run around their resort's winding jogging trail, a law enforcement job fair aimed at returning vets from Afganistan and Iraq, and a poolside massage. Meanwhile, Provenza gave an accounting of a lecture he'd attended that day- on the beach, before hitting a local golf course to play nine holes... all while wearing his trademark white bucket hat to both events, no doubt.

Feeling more and more at ease, the captain took a healthy sip of her Pinot Grigio, and just enjoyed the moment. It felt good. She hated to admit it, but Chief Taylor had been right. She could feel the layers of stress lifting away. They'd been in Miami for two full days, and all was well. They'd worked a little, played a little, and now they were set to enjoy a fine meal together. As a family. Provenza was being given a virtual tour of Rusty's vacation pictures on his phone, and Sykes seemed to be occupied with her own device as well.

As relaxed as she was, however, Sharon couldn't help but notice something was off at their table. At first she couldn't put her finger on it, but then it hit her... Instead of having four place settings at their booth, there were five. Sharon sat on the outside left, Rusty was next, followed by Provenza, and then Sykes. A fifth place setting sat on the outside right of the booth, next to Sykes and directly opposite from Sharon.

"Amy," Sharon began with a grin, "Is there someone else joining us? Say a certain Lieutenant Cooper, by any chance?"

Sykes giggled. "Chuck? No. Deputy-Chief Howard couldn't spare him. But yes, we've got one more coming- my uncle's unit superior. You'll love him. He's really special."

"I bet." Again, Sharon sipped her wine. Absently, she glanced at the menu while listening to Provenza being schooled by Rusty on how to text a photo of his mojito to his lady, Patrice.

Meanwhile, the sea bass with tomatoes and capers sounded good.

But then again, so did the Osso Bucco.

The former was a safe bet. The latter was a worthy vacation splurge. Sinful, but worth every calorie. Such was life. Sharon laughed inwardly at the irony, before quite suddenly, her wine-induced musings were interrupted by her table-mates' excited voices.

Amid the friendly chaos, she heard Sykes' proud announcement.

"Captain Raydor, this is..."

Sharon looked up, and suddenly, everything around her became a wash of ambient background sight and sound.

All except for him.

It seemed almost anticlimactic. All of her fears and worry over the past few weeks- gone, out the window. She felt better, actually. Relief. The bandage had been ripped off, and that was that.

Although he'd aged, the man before her needed no introduction. She would've known him over a thousand lifetimes. "Oh my gods."

"Sharon Raydor."

His voice was as rich as ever. It still hit home. And it still made her heart break.

"Martin Castillo."

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	7. Chapter 7: It's Good To See You

_**A/N: Thanks so much for all of the great reviewers who are enjoying this. Finally, Sharon has seen Castillo- let the fun begin!**_

CHAPTER 7

"You two know each other?" Provenza sputtered into his cocktail.

Sharon took the reins before Castillo, who was as visibly moved at their reunion as she was, could even respond. "Yes." Her words and demeanor were efficient and surprisingly calm, almost as if she was working on a case. "We met years ago at a another conference- right here in Miami, in fact."

"Cool!" declared Rusty. "Provenza and I ran into Amy and Marty, the other day, at the exhibition hall. They came looking for some fun after her uncle's memorial. We all hung out, and had a great time. How did you guys get together?"

Sharon hummed, and dared not meet Castillo's gaze as he seated himself next to Sykes on the outside end of the booth. "I attended a presentation given by the lieutenant, here."

"Actually, my rank is now the same as yours."

"You made Captain?"

Damn! But she made the mistake of looking across the table, at her one-time lover. She couldn't help herself...

Castillo's dark eyes flashed as both he and Sharon recalled their shared memory of their past disagreement, and his pull of rank over her. Both looked as though they wanted to laugh, but instead played things cool. He apparently was just as afraid of going there as she was.

"Yes. It took awhile, but I never gave up hope. There were times I doubted I'd get there, and I have to wonder if the brass decided to promote me out of pity."

"A promotion is a promotion, amigo," Provenza declared as he clinked his mojito to Castillo's water glass. "Enjoy your days in the sun, while you can. Meanwhile, you give all of us lowly lieutenants something to dream about."

Sharon caught the older man's gentle barb at her and smiled into her wine.

"Anyway," Sykes piped up, eager to fully introduce their guest. "Martin was my uncle's boss. They called him 'The Glue Man'– the one who kept the unit together. Best guy anyone could work with- that's what Uncle Larry always said."

"Amy," Castillo warned softly.

"No, it's true!" Sykes insisted. "When Uncle Larry died... you were so wonderful. The whole Zito family came for his funeral, and you spent time with each of us. Even a shy little kid who hid behind her mom's skirt."

Rusty snorted. "You, were ever shy? Yeah, right!"

"She was adorable. And scared," Castillo stated. "It took some doing, coaxing her out, but children need assuring in times such as those. It was my honor to help."

"Martin gave me my first 'official' police assignment," Sykes told the group. "He and the unit bequeathed my uncle's pet goldfish, Harriet, to me. They said it was for 'protection purposes,' but looking back, I bet they just didn't want to deal with her. My poor mom had to truck her with us in a pickle jar, all the way back home on the airplane, but I felt so important as her new guardian."

Of that, Sharon had no doubt.

She watched the interaction of Sykes and the hero cop, playing out before her, and found herself recalling a story confessed to her by Castillo himself, in the small hours they'd shared. He'd spoken of the death and murder of one of his detectives, which Sharon now assumed was most likely Amy's relative. It had weighed greatly upon him. As did the later departures of his unit's two best men, Sonny Crockett & Ricardo Tubbs. Such events, along with others from his past, made him older than his years at the time, and gave him a wide shadow of melancholy.

There was a peace about him, now. Time had softened the severity of his features, making him appear less intimidating. If not more handsome. Absently, Sharon wondered if he had married, and had children. He wore no ring, but of course, that did not matter these days. If it ever did. Like her, he now wore glasses. Simple wire rims. His thick mustache remained, but it, like the rest of his hair, had more silver in it than black. Marty Castillo was...

"Sharon, are you okay? You look funny."

Rusty's whispered concern, brought the woman out of her musings. Was she that obvious? Of course. "Yes, Honey. It's just the wine," Sharon told the boy quietly. "And the heat. I'm switching to water from here on out."

She listened as Provenza and her son joined in on the conversation. Clearly, they were both very comfortable with Castillo, which seemed a little odd. Provenza rarely liked anyone, and Rusty was naturally cautious around older men.

Red flags abounded. Sharon felt her old worries and fears of returning to Miami, creeping back around herself.

"I apologize for not being here sooner, but my previous meeting ran longer than expected."

Provenza actually chuckled at Castillo's statement. "Judging by the high dollar suit you're wearing, I'm guessing you were doing some undercover work in the mafia. Or one of the drug cartels."

"I might just as well have been."

Dressed all in black, from his tailored jacket and pants, to his shirt and tone-on-tone tie, Castillo certainly looked the part. With his beautiful olive coloring, and air of spicy cologne, he could have walked right out of a Mario Puzo novel.

Not that the woman captain had noticed.

"How so," Sharon asked cooly.

"Actually, Captain Raydor," Castillo began pointedly. "I have a non-profit program for at-risk kids, and my meeting was with a potential donor. A perfectly legal, and sadly cutthroat in business, donor."

"Oh."

"Yeah, Sharon. Martin's got this thing where he buys broke-down houses, and then gives jobs to kids on the street. Kids that might get into, you know... things. And instead, they go to work on the houses. The houses get fixed, and so do the kids. Right?"

Rusty's eyes were searching Castillo's for approval, and that put Sharon on further alert.

"Couldn't have explained it better myself, Rusty." Castillo took a sip of his newly arrived scotch. "But it's not slave labor. The kids learn from, and work alongside, master craftsmen. Tradespeople. Artists. They get paid in the short term, with enough dollars in their pocket for a good meal and a safe place to sleep. And in the long term, they get skills to pull themselves up into a better place in life."

It sounded like a lovely picture, one that Sharon would've wished for Rusty to have been given in the past, but unfortunately, had not. "What if they don't tow the line, and the opportunities given to them?"

"Then, I kick their ass."

"Which you certainly are capable of, Captain," commented Provenza.

"And you did, just the other day," Rusty added. "Ours!"

Seeing her superior bristle, Sykes took the opportunity to explain to Sharon, what Provenza and Rusty were getting at. "Martin and I challenged the boys here, to essentially a game of laser-tag, at a vendor's booth. They were selling a training system that was really true to life-"

"And frakking awesome!"

Provenza elbowed Rusty for his cheerful interruption. "That is until you've been knocked flat on your aging back, and feeling like you've had your chest blown out by a Glock."

"Aw, Louie," cooed Sykes. "Sometimes a good pair of eyeglasses is still no match against a better, and more youthful gun."

Provenza grumbled into his menu, as Sharon smiled. She knew that Sykes adored the old goat as much as she did. "I wish I'd been there, to back you guys up."

"That's okay, Sharon," Rusty confidently told his mother. "After Marty gave me a shooting lesson at the next vendor over, I did much better in our rematch."

Sharon nearly choked on her water. "He what?!"

Suddenly realizing what he'd just said, Rusty paled. He could see that his mother already had her tight look on her face, and was loaded for bear. His mind reeled at how to play things, without getting grounded while on vacation.

"You taught my son how to shoot? A gun?"

"Yes," Castillo replied calmly to Sharon's pointed question.

"Why?"

"Because he asked."

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	8. Chapter 8: Fireworks

CHAPTER 8

"Now, Sharon, before you go all Darth Raydor, I can explain."

"That's not necessary, Son," Castillo cut in, as his eyes never left Sharon's. "This is between your mother and myself."

Quietly simmering, Sharon chose her words carefully, while Provenza and Sykes studied their menus intently. "Actually it is necessary, Rusty. Martin Castillo is not your father. And as your legal parent, and someone who loves you very, very much, I would like to know why you sought instruction from someone you barely even know, on how to use a loaded weapon. For goodness sakes, I'm a cop, Honey."

"And so is he!"

Sharon rolled her eyes as Castillo chuckled softly. "You've never even shown an interest in guns."

"True," Rusty agreed. "At first we were all just playing a game, and it was fun. But then I got that feeling. You know? The feeling that I've heard all of you guys talk about." The young man looked around the table, from Sharon and Provenza, to Castillo and Sykes. "And I thought, with Stroh still out there, it would be good to at least have a bit more knowledge in shooting, than what Call Of Duty has to offer."

"But, Rusty-"

"I wasn't thinking of myself, Sharon. I was thinking of you. Should the need ever arise, I want to be able to protect you, like you've protected me."

Speechless, Sharon stared at her son, and tried not to cry in front of the others.

"Philip Stroh's reputation proceeds him," offered Castillo. "His name has turned up in a number of our files over the years. Rusty is of legal age to shoot, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to-"

"You told him about Stroh?!" Sharon was speaking to Rusty, and made it clear to Castillo to back off, using her raised right index finger. "How much?"

Rusty swallowed, and matched his mother's hushed tone. "Not everything."

Castillo dared to rejoin the conversation. "I apologize, Captain. I overstepped my boundaries. Had I known-"

"Okay, okay. I got it." Defeated, Sharon tossed her white linen napkin onto the table. She saw the earnestness in Rusty's eyes, felt Castillo's honesty emanating from across the table, and could take no more.

How was it that Rusty could feel that Martin, a perfect stranger, was worthy of opening up to and sharing in some of his deepest kept secrets?

Easy. Like mother, like son.

Rusty grinned. "Perfect! So, I was thinking when we get home, you and I could hit the range. I don't need my own piece, but it'd be awesome to learn from the best shot in L.A. My mom. Captain Sharon Raydor. Queen of the Beanbag Gun!"

Castillo looked on, knowingly, and with a bemused smile.

Sharon winced. "You told him about the beanbag gun, too?"

"No, that was actually Provenza," Rusty clarified, as the lieutenant held up his hands in mock surrender.

Thankfully, their waiter arrived to take their dinner orders before Sharon could die of embarrassment. Right then and there, her indecision over the Osso Buco vs. the sea bass was officially over. The Osso Buco won out.

As pissed as the lady captain was, she needed to suck the marrow out of someone's bones.

Time passed, and their dinner progressed nicely. The food was as wonderful as promised. Conversation was held to uncontroversial topics. And Sharon kept her frustrations in check. For the most part. That is, until...

"So, Marty, what was our good Captain like, way back when?"

She could've sent Provenza out an airlock.

Sykes was no help, and practically begged for more info. "Yes! Give us all the dirt! It was the 90's right? I'm thinking bad hair. Neon. Maybe a power suit with some leftover shoulder pads from the 80's?"

As Rusty leaned in, eager to hear about his mother's younger days, Castillo took a sip of wine. Pinot Grigio, to go with the Sea Bass he'd ordered. Naturally. He made it look so good, Sharon kicked herself for not ordering it as well. Castillo seemed to consider his words carefully, playing things as if he and Sharon had merely been past associates.

His eyes never left hers.

"She was... opinionated and tenacious... with an infectious laugh..." Castillo's words earned appreciative nods from Provenza and Sykes. "A loving and committed mother, I remember her speaking at length of her children. The newest of which, by the way, I've been very honored to meet and get to know." At that, Rusty openly blushed. "Her hair was shorter, back then," Castillo continued. "It didn't suit her, but it was a look for many women at the time."

"It was," Sharon agreed quietly, as she recalled the awful style. She'd worn her hair long for years, and cut it on a whim after cutting ties with Jack. It was a symbolically freeing moment, and one she didn't regret. Much.

Castillo huffed, as if reading her mind.

"Even so, she was the most fascinating and beautiful woman I've ever met. And she still is, I might add."

Suddenly the table became unbelievably quiet.

Rusty offered an opening volley, "So, guys, this is really cool- Sharon's planning to take the morning off tomorrow, and she and I are gonna tour the University of Miami campus. Won't that be fun?"

" _Fun?_ " sputtered Provenza. "Since when do you say things like 'fun'- especially in regard to a matter like school?"

Rusty glared at the lieutenant. "Work with me, alright?"

Provenza looked to Sharon, then Castillo, and then back again to Sharon. The woman looked quite pleased with herself, while their new friend looked borderline dyspeptic.

"I take it you have something against the school. What- did the Hurricanes beat your alma mater in a bowl game recently?"

Sharon's intended tone nagged at Castillo, and made him frown. "No."

"Then what then?"

"Football is not my sport, but even if it was, it would not matter." Castillo toyed with his napkin before continuing, "It is just that the university is a known party school, and I would think that as caring as a parent you are, you would not what your son to be in that sort of environment."

Sharon rolled her eyes. "Are you a parent, Captain?" Before the man could reply, she continued, "Then please, for all that's holy, do not question _my_ choices in regards to _my_ son. Ever again. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Good," Sharon stated with a triumphant nod, then turned to the rest of their group and said, "Amy, I'm sorry. If you'll all excuse me, I need some air."

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	9. Chapter 9: Reflections

CHAPTER 9

Rusty, Provenza, Sykes, and Castillo all watched in quiet, but unsurprised reaction, as Sharon abruptly stood and took off towards the restaurant's balcony, which was closed for the night due to on-coming inclement weather.

"Be back in time for dessert," Sykes called after her. "The tiramisu is to die for!"

Feeling the tension at the table, Castillo put down his napkin, and sighed deeply before getting up as well. "Excuse me."

"More for us," quipped Provenza as Castillo headed off towards the restrooms.

Once inside the men's room, the Miami captain ignored the stalls and urinals, and went straight to the wall of gleaming, hand-hammered copper sinks set into a counter of imported Italian travertine. There, he removed his jacket and glasses, methodically rolled up his shirt-sleeves, and splashed cold water on his weathered face.

Inwardly, Castillo chastised himself for his behavior. He never should have spoken that way to Amy's superior. Especially since it was Sharon Raydor, of all people.

It was the alcohol, mixed with the emotion of seeing her again. As it was, Amy had long ago told him the identity of her boss, and it was something that always comforted him, knowing that Larry Zito's niece was in such good and capable hands. Castillo more than knew what he was getting himself into. Rarely did he allow himself the uncontrolled consequences of alcohol. So, in knowing that, Castillo swore softly under his breath- he never should have combined whisky, wine, and Sharon Raydor.

"Motherfrakker," he swore as he glared at his reflection in the mirror.

"Hey, Old Man!" came a cheerful offering and a slap on the back from Galen, the restaurant's sympathetic bartender, who emerged from one of the bathroom's two stalls opposite the wall of urinals. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

Castillo raised an eyebrow as the younger man joined him at the sinks. Instantly, Castillo recognized the bartender as one of the original kids from his home flipping program. "Chief! It's good to see you!"

Galen hugged his mentor and grinned at his old nickname, one that had continued to follow him for many years out. "It's good to be seen, but damn, you look like hell."

Castillo shrugged.

"You look like I feel, after a round with my girl, Cally."

"That bad?"

Galen laughed as he soaped-up, while giving Castillo a side-ways glance. "Well, you're way better dressed than I could ever afford," noted the bartender, "But you've still got that broke-down look about you. Like you've been hit six ways from Sunday."

"I had it coming," agreed Castillo, as he re-armored in his jacket and glasses.

"Don't we all." Galen finished his 30-second scrub, and dried his hands with a paper towel. "I swear, women are the bane of all mankind, but then they go and do something..."

"Wonderful?" offered Castillo.

"Yeah," Galen agreed. "Like last week- Cal' and I had this huge fight- about something stupid. I went to work, and felt terrible all night. I even dropped a case of Dom... can you imagine?! Then I went home and slept things off on the couch... only to wake up the next morning to see my wife and our 3-year-old son, with my favorite breakfast of PB & J waffles, and a sign reading WE LOVE YOU DA-DA! Before I knew it, Cally's crying, and then I'm crying, and then we look and see that Nicky's eattin' the waffles- with peanut butter and raspberry jam all over his face, and Cal' and I just start laughing. It was the best."

Castillo nodded in quiet agreement, as the bartender wished him good luck and took his leave.

And with that, Captain Martin Castillo knew what he had to do.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	10. Chapter 10: Friction

**_A/N : Huge thanks (and hugs!) to all of the readers and reviewers of this series! This is a bigger chapter than the previous one, and teases things further in regards to Sharon & Castillo's past. Can any of you guess why Sharon hates pink flamingos? Either way, I hope you enjoy a bit of luvin' from Sharon & Marty..._**

CHAPTER 10

The scent of sea spray mixed nicely with the nitrogen in the air from the oncoming rain.

It was just what she needed to get him out of her head.

With any luck, Castillo had taken his leave from their table. Sharon knew the others would be worried about her. Not to mention the fact that Rusty and Provenza would be jockeying for her dessert.

She was just about to go inside.

And then he was there. Again. Right where he should not have been.

"Sharon–"

"Marty, please–"

He stopped her. One look and he stopped her, inches from his body.

"I never should have come. It wasn't fair. I knew, but you didn't." Before Sharon could reply, before she could even try to move past him, he continued, "I came only for Amy's sake, if that helps."

It did, but it didn't.

"Do you think that she- they, have any idea about us?"

Castillo huffed wistfully. "No, but I'm sure they're pretty suspicious. Two are detectives, and Rusty's a pretty bright kid."

"Oh my gods, Rusty!"

"He's going to be okay, Sharon. I think he can handle knowing about us. Just like I think he can handle going to an out-of-state university." The last part Castillo didn't need to add, but he did, because it was the truth as he saw it. "I don't really see a kid like Rusty, partying all-night and chasing girls."

Sharon hiccuped at the thought, as she felt Castillo's arms come around her and pull her into his warmth. "Rusty likes boys."

"Really?"

Sharon stiffened slightly, ready to defend her son. "Does that bother you?"

Castillo pulled her tighter before releasing her. "Not at all."

She searched her former lover's eyes, and found his words to be true. "Good."

Sharon turned towards the balcony's railing. Toward the sea. The small, late summer storm was coming ashore. It would be a relief from the heat.

"Like you, I also have an adopted child." Castillo's tone was gentle, and full of adoration. "Though we never made things legal, Kara is still my daughter."

Castillo pulled his phone from his pants' right pocket, and gave it to Sharon after pulling up the photos app and selecting his personal pictures. They ranged from those of a teenage Anglo girl with her arms wrapped around a Latino boy her own age, to that of her as a shiny new Miami-Dade police graduate, a bride to a clean-cut Anglo, and then finally- literally barefoot and pregnant.

"I've known Kara since she was a kid. A good girl, who came from a broken home and an abusive mother... she and Zak were inseparable and madly in love." Castillo paused, remembering. "They were among the first kids in the Casa Mia program, and I couldn't have been more proud of them both. When the time came, they both got their G.E.D., and went on to higher education- Zak to the U.S. Naval Academy, and Kara to–"

Sharon held up a hand, fully expecting the coming irony. "Let me guess... the University of Miami?"

Castillo blushed. "Yes. But I kept an eye on her."

"Of course you did."

They both shared a laugh, until Castillo grew serious again.

"Zak went on to fight in Afghanistan. Kara and I had mixed emotions about it, but Zak always wanted to be a pilot and do good for our country."

Sharon's heart sank. "He didn't come home alive, did he?"

"No."

"Were they going to get married?"

Castillo shrugged, and rocked back on his heels. "I don't know, really. Kara was gun-shy of the whole idea of marriage and family, but she was crazy about Zak. So maybe."

"And the other young man in the pictures?"

"You mean my British son-in-law," Castillo clarified with a laugh. "Yeah, that's Leland. He was part of England's contingent with the Allied Forces, and flew often with Zak. A little uptight, but a good man. The two became good friends, and when Zak was killed he was there for Kara. She hated him at first, for being alive instead of Zak, but then things changed, and eventually they got married."

"And now you're going to be a grandpa?"

Castillo took the phone from Sharon, and grinned like a fool. "I can't wait."

Sharon hummed at the picture in her head. "I look forward to that day for myself, as well," she admitted as Castillo's smile wattage turned up a few more notches. "Have you picked out your name? What you want the baby to call you?"

The man nodded. " _Abu_. It's short for abuelo, and will be easier for the young one to say."

"I like it."

"Yeah, so do I."

Sharon hesitated a moment before confessing, "When the day comes, I'm going to be _Mimi_."

"That's much better than Darth Raydor," Castillo declared. When Sharon laughed with embarrassment, he huffed softly and told her, "I've always thought of you more as _Stands With A Fist_."

The kiss happened suddenly.

Sharon reached up and placed one hand upon his shoulder, and threaded the other into his thick salt & pepper hair. She controlled the pace, fast and deep. His mustache scraped at her upper lip, as she nipped insistently at his own lower one. Their own tastes mingled as their tongues mated in dance.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow."

Castillo pulled back. "Missed you."

"Me too." Sharon wanted to say more, but didn't.

"I've never forgotten."

Sharon clasped her hands behind her back in nervousness. "Same here."

He stepped closer, albeit cautiously. "May I kiss you, again?"

She squeaked in affirmation, totally ignoring the fact that it was _she_ who kissed _him_ , first.

This time it was Castillo who was in control. With gentle force, he backed Sharon into one of the restaurant's architectural columns, one hand at her waist, the other buried in her glossy red waves. He groaned into her, claiming her mouth with his own, her soul with his, until she was limp and sated in his arms.

"I can't," she said after they parted.

"But you _did_."

Sharon wiped at her lips. Straightened her rumpled dress. She dared not look at him, nor the outline of his burgeoning erection from inside his well-tailored pants.

Instead she turned to face the ocean and oncoming storm.

"Yes I did," Sharon agreed. "But I have Rusty to think about. Marty, he's very fragile. I can't take the risk. My divorce isn't final, and if Jack found out about us- both then and potentially now... he's a very good lawyer, and he could find a way to make me lose custody of Rusty legally. And I can't do that. His natural mother is–"

"I know. Rusty told me."

"Of course."

"He loves you very much, Sharon. And he's as protective of you as you are of him," Castillo stated thickly, his words caught in his throat. "I just wish you'd let me in again, and be that way for you as well."

The woman hummed at the irony of his words. She had indeed _let him in_ , once, both literally and figuratively. That was the root of the problem, and was the very reason that she could not go there again. It would only result in pain for them both.

When Sharon finally turned to reply to Castillo's statement of facts, she found him as silently gone as he had come.

And in his place– was one very curious Lt. Louie Provenza.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	11. Chapter 11: Revelation

CHAPTER 11

"So I'm guessing this has something to do with why you hate pink flamingos?"

Sharon rolled her eyes, already feeling the heat of Provenza's interrogation. "I want my lawyer."

"I'll bet you do. And I bet Castillo does as well," growled the lieutenant. "The captain just gave his regards to the table, kissed Amy on the forehead, and left."

"Is there any tiramisu left?" Sharon tried to change the subject.

"No. And I doubt if you could eat it anyway, as your throat's gotta be sore from Castillo stealing your tonsils. Honestly, Sharon!"

She hummed nervously. "Just how much did you see? Hear?"

"More than I care to have."

"Oh gods."

Provenza pulled up two wrought-iron outdoor chairs and motioned for his friend, and not his boss, to join him. "I think I can piece together what happened between you two, so you can skip the sordid, two decades old play-by-play of you and your Latino lover. What's the real shit?"

Once seated, Sharon looked down and folded her hands in her lap. "He was my first after I broke with Jack. And I was his, after he briefly reconnected with the wife that he thought had died."

"Of course."

The lieutenant had his own past issues with ex-wives, but had never had the occasion for one to resurface from the dead. He counted himself lucky in that regard, and was increasingly intrigued and amazed by the enigmatic Martin Castillo. It really wasn't a complete surprise that the man had been once involved with Sharon Raydor. The woman was equally fascinating, once she let her guard down. Provenza had gotten to know her quite well, over the years, and he was secretly in awe of her. The minute she'd walked into their squad room, investigating his former boss, Brenda Leigh Johnson, Provenza knew they were in for something.

He had a feeling a big something was coming, once again.

"Afterwards, we both felt like we'd cheated on them both," Sharon told Provenza.

"Being the good Catholic you are, and that Castillo apparently is, as well. Go on."

"Everything had felt so right, and it all happened so fast."

Provenza couldn't help but crack a smile. "Funny, I don't see Castillo as a fast, in-and-out kind of guy."

Sharon gave him a death stare. "He's not."

Provenza covered his ears, and shut his eyes tightly at the thought. He had to hand it to his boss. She gave as good as she got.

"We weren't thinking clearly... just feeling," Sharon recalled distantly. In her mind's eyes she saw flashes of her time with Castillo, and not her trusted lieutenant. Seeing him again, and being with him once more, had brought everything to the surface.

Her lips were still swollen from his kiss.

The older man shook his head at the Telenovela-worthy scene being set. "I take it that you and Marty didn't use protection," Provenza surmised, adding air-quotes to his rhetorical question.

Sharon hugged herself. "No. As it was, we never even made it back to my hotel room."

At that, Provenza started laughing uncontrollably. "I see it now... Darth Raydor, control freak of the L.A.P.D, got an STD from a back seat one-night-stand! Whoa, Lady, you are the lucky one! With the AIDS crisis in the 90's, you can thank your lucky stars Castillo kept his nose- and his dick, pretty clean after all those years in the Golden Triangle. Ha, ha!" The older man slapped his hands together. "So, what'd he give ya?"

Sharon smiled wanly at the man's inability to be politically-correct, much less polite.

Reflexively, she placed a hand to her abdomen.

"A baby."

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	12. Chapter 12: Consumation

CHAPTER 12

(20 Years Ago)

The rain, though initially a relief, only magnified the heat that emanated off of the concrete of the city, and throng of humanity around them.

They both needed to cool off, so they adjourned to the beach. And had their first fight- make that disagreement, in hours.

"That is not what I think it is,"

"It is."

Sharon rolled her eyes. "We're not going to sit on a crime scene tarp."

Castillo sighed. "It's big enough for two, and it'll keep our clothes clean and dry from the sand."

"But the thought is morbid. And icky."

"Icky?"

"Yes!"

In addition to the tarp, he also grabbed a blanket from the trunk of his car- just to appease the fiery redhead as she stomped off towards the ocean.

"It's beautiful here," Sharon said over her shoulder, feeling his presence near. The clouds had cleared, giving way to a clear showing of a bright and full moon, its glow playing on the foam of the endless ocean waves.

"The Atlantic is warmer than the Pacific," Castillo noted while spreading the tarp and fluffing the blanket out into an artful pile.

"Mmm." The shoreline break teased at her toes. Made her smile. Made her want to dive in.

"You can, you know," he stated, reading her thoughts as he came up from behind and encircled her in his arms.

She turned to face him, and their mouths met.

He tasted so good, a mix of rum and man. Sweet and musky at the same time. It was not their first kiss of the night. That had come unexpectedly while dancing at the street fair they'd attended in Little Havana, and was totally reactionary to the music and the moment. This, their second kiss, however, had meant something. And it scared her as much as it excited her.

"No. I cannot."

"Why not? You've already abandoned your shoes."

As had he. Looking back, she saw that his wingtips rested in the sand near her own high heel pumps.

"I don't have a swimsuit with me," she sneered playfully. "And neither do you."

"We don't need them."

Sharon hummed at the notion, wanting desperately to say _yes_ . "This is a public beach. If we got caught by the authorities–"

"Woman, I seem to recall that we _are_ the authorities."

His gently taunting correction didn't even faze her. "Yes. But _I_ am just a lowly detective out of my jurisdiction," she stated defiantly. "And _you_ are a trusted lieutenant who could easily make Captain within a few years..."

Castillo laughed at that, and placed a warm kiss of familiarity on Sharon's lips. "Very well."

They walked hand-in-hand, back to their camp. Once there, they sat together, watching and listening to the timeless pulse of the ocean waves before them.

"I've always been in love with the beach," Sharon confessed. "I grew up landlocked, but when I was four, my family went to Hawaii for vacation. The foam on the sand tickled my toes and reminded me of bath-time. And beer."

Castillo looked at her with incredulousness in his eyes. "Beer?"

She jabbed him playfully. "My father enjoyed home micro-brewery, and let me help now and then."

"Make it, or drink it?"

Sharon gave him her best pre-Darth Rador glare.

Castillo laughed fully, then took her hand in his and kissed it, as they continued to watch the moonlit surf. "I was two."

She nearly choked. "When you first saw the ocean? You were two years old, and you remember that far back?"

"More or less. Images, filled in by my mother. I do remember standing on the sand and seeing the Pacific Ocean spread out before me. There didn't seem to be anything bigger. It went on forever, and I loved it."

"The Pacific? So you grew up on the West Coast?"

Castillo nodded and picked up a hand-full of sand, let the grains sift through his fingers and get carried away by the ocean breeze. "East L.A. Boyle Heights."

Sharon moved in closer, and put her head against his shoulder.

"It was a good life. I was blessed with incredible, hard-working parents. My father fought in WWII, and later worked as an auto mechanic by day and a bartender by night. Meanwhile, my mother was a secretary for a civil-rights attorney."

"Who watched over you?"

Castillo took Sharon's hand in his and kissed it again. "You mean, who kept me out of trouble?"

"No, I just meant–"

"I know," Castillo cut in, his tone easy and soothing. "Gang activity has had its presence in the area for decades- even as far back as when my parents were young. The Zoot Suit riots and all that. It wasn't easy, but I stayed clean. If I hadn't, my Hungarian grandmother– my father's mother, would've kicked my ass. She threatened all the neighbor kids, too. So I studied hard in school, and played lots of baseball. End of story."

Sharon, quite in awe, couldn't resist asking, "So, you speak Hungarian?"

"Only the best swear words," Castillo replied without missing a beat. "All of which are far too dirty to be uttered in the company of a refined lady, such as yourself."

Sharon laughed, full and loud, before kissing him passionately.

"On second thought. . ."

"I'm sorry."

Castillo flat-out grinned. "I'm not. And neither are you."

In his arms, Sharon blushed in the moonlight. "You're right." She caressed his weathered face. Toyed with the thickness of his hair. Breathed in his scent. "I don't want to go back to my hotel. . . I don't want to be alone tonight. . . I just want to stay here. . . with you."

"Yes, Madam."

Sharon and Castillo took turns carefully undressing and exploring each other, with warm kisses and gentle touches. Everything felt right, and as it was though their souls had always known each other.

His mustache gave her whisker burn in some very interesting places.

Her teeth left their mark on his left shoulder.

He whispered soft words to her in languages that she'd only heard in passing.

She thanked the Creator for bringing her this man who made her feel so alive.

They made pillows for their heads out of their shed clothing. And, with a galaxy of stars above, they made love as though there was no past or future- only the rare and cherished moment that was theirs and theirs alone.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	13. Chapter 13: Change Of Plans

_**A/N: Again, huge thanks to the readers for such love for this story! oneill29, thank you for your review in French- I wish I could read your words! I hope that by your mention of Andy (I think), and all of the other readers, are okay with Sharon being with someone other than Lt. Flynn. Andy's a sweetie, and Sharon doesn't want to break his heart in this story, but Castillo is hard to resist- and he and Sharon have such history...**_

CHAPTER 13

Plagued by not-so-distant memories and steamy dreams fused together, Sharon Raydor awoke with a start. Someone was banging on her hotel room door, and her first response was to bury her face in her pillow and pull the bed covers up over her head.

The facts that her said pillow was soaked with her own saliva, and that the bed linens were all twisted up and between her legs, were entirely circumstantial.

They had nothing to do with Martin Castillo.

Nothing at all.

Really.

"Sharon!" came Rusty's excited voice from the other side of the door. He continued to knock in a rapid fashion. "Sharon! Mom! Are you okay?! Can you open this door?! It's locked, and I heard you moaning and crying out a little bit ago, and I'm super worried about you!"

Sharon felt her face redden as she jumped out of bed.

Had she been that loud in her sleep? Her dreams had been very vivid, and as she went to open the door connecting her room to Rusty's, she found that they had also been very stimulating as well– her panties were completely soaked with her body's needy response!

Tugging her oversized Packers t-shirt further beyond her hips, Sharon opened the door to find her very concerned son. "Honey, I'm fine. I was just–"

He threw his arms around her. "Don't scare me like that, Sharon. I was afraid you were really sick."

Sharon backed up a bit to show Rusty she was okay, and in doing so, she noticed that he held something tightly in his left hand. "I'm not sick, but are you feeling alright? You're out of breath."

Rusty grinned, then hugged his adoptive mother excitedly, before moving on into her room further. "I'm frakking great! The coolest thing has just happened! I know that we already planned to tour the campus of the University of Miami today, and that's cool and all, but I think that you're gonna love this..." Rusty then paused dramatically, to raid Sharon's mini-bar fridge of an overpriced can of Red Bull. "Dodger's tickets!"

Sharon stared at the narrow strips of thick-stock paper presented to her.

Sure enough, her beloved baseball team was in town to play in a series against the Miami Marlins, and the two tickets in her hand were for a matinee game later that day at Marlin Park.

"Rusty, this is wonderful! Where did you get these?"

"I was having breakfast with Sykes and Provenza–"

"Breakfast?!" Sharon interrupted. "What time is it?"

Rusty's stomach growled at the mention of food. "Um, like close to Noon." He watched as Sharon's face turned pink from embarrassment for sleeping so late. "So here's where things get cool, Marty showed up and joined us. Apparently, Amy invited him... anyway, he has a block of tickets, and asked all of us if we'd like to go. So of course I said yes for the both of us!"

Sharon's own stomach dropped. "Oh gods, Rusty–"

"I know– I made an executive decision, and I really should've asked you first."

Sharon shook her head. "It's fine, Honey. I just... Damn..."

The young man frowned as his mother hugged herself. "What? Are you feeling sick again? Maybe we should call the hotel doctor."

"No!" Sharon grabbed his arm as he started toward her room phone. "Rusty, I swear I'm fine. Really."

"Great, then we're on! I'll call Marty and let him know we're totally all in. Provenza actually said you might not join us after-all. I mean, what's up with that?"

Sharon sighed as she watched Rusty, happily drifting back to his room, while drinking his over-priced energy drink and dialing Martin Castillo on his phone.

"Indeed," she agreed rhetorically while shutting the connecting room door, in order to get ready for the day. "What's up with that?"

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	14. Chapter 14: One More Flashback

_**A/N: Warning, some semi-graphic scenes ahead, first a tiny bit of luvin, from Sharon & Castillo, and then some later trauma for Sharon. I don't want to upset anyone, but felt these scenes helped tell the story of our heroine's past. **_

CHAPTER 14

(20 YEARS AGO)

She woke slowly, surrounded by the warmth of his arms. His hair was still slightly wet from the naked swim he'd taken at dawn.

Sharon had never seen such a gorgeous sight, as her new lover rose out of the sea, with a pink-gold sky at his back. Water had sluiced off Castillo's sinewed body, and long, strong legs, as he strode back to her and their cozy little encampment. She roused just enough to help dry him with the red plaid blanket they'd shared during the night, then spooned with him beneath it once again.

His mustache teased roughly as he kissed her good-morning.

She hummed softly as she returned the favor.

The crime scene tarp that served as their bed crinkled beneath them.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

Castillo could feel the tension invade her body, and caressed her naked back in response.

In the morning light she could see the aged scars she'd felt on his body during the night. The line between his neck and left shoulder. The jagged slash near his abdomen, and the one on his right thigh. The newest, was one of several on his back.

But the one thing that made her pause the most, was the simple gold medallion that hung from a ball chain around his neck. The pendant had hit her chin a number of times in the night, as Castillo had rhythmically moved over her.

"Saint Christopher," she noted while remembering their passionate moments. "You're Catholic..."

"As you are," he confirmed, while silently taking stock of the pale line on her left ring-finger.

"Jack and I are over. Completely. I don't regret it, but–"

"You still feel like you've sinned."

"Yes."

Castillo sat up, and looked out to the sea. "As do I."

Sharon held the blanket to her chest, and sat up as well. "Your wife. May-Yi?"

"Our marriage was dissolved years ago, but then she came back into my life- not once but twice... I admit that it still feels strange." Castillo took Sharon's hand and laced his fingers with hers. "It was one thing when I thought she was dead, but knowing she's still alive and out there..."

"Knowing that Jack is still out there, makes me physically ill."

"I could take care of him for you."

Sharon looked Castillo straight in the eye, saw the seriousness there, and laughed nervously.

"We should go to Mass," she said.

Again, his sober tone hit home to Sharon. "Agreed."

They dressed and broke camp, then made their way back to Castillo's car.

His modest parish, built in a Spanish mission style, was located in the heart of Miami. Together, they walked into the building, hand-in-hand, like the penitent souls that they were. Mass had yet to begin, and there was still time, so Sharon and Castillo both gave their individual Confessions.

After the Mass ended, Castillo introduced Sharon to the priest, who eyed them carefully. Both men spoke in hushed Spanish, as Sharon studied the church's architecture and made a small donation to the collection box.

Living in L.A., Sharon knew enough Spanish to get by, and it was apparent that the priest was giving his friendly approval of her to Castillo, even in light of telling them both in the confessional to, 'go and sin no more.'

"Hungry?"

Arriving at her side without warning, Castillo had startled her. "Ugh! Don't mention food on a stomach filled with too much rum, and only a Communion wafer to soak it all up," she told him.

He took her hand as they descended the church steps. "Me too. We'll fix that, soon."

They drove to a tiny hole-in-the-wall, that oddly enough, served Japanese and Cuban food.

The place was as eclectic as its owners, who were a young interracial couple of both ethnic origins. It had every bit of pop and decoration from their separate cultures, combined with a heavy dose of American kitsch that could fit on the walls and oil-cloth covered tables.

Castillo ordered two bowls of salty miso soup for them both, and as many tiny cups of strong Cuban coffee that the wife could pour.

"What? No wonderfully greasy, Cubano sandwich?" questioned Sharon playfully, as their meals arrived. "With a side of sake?"

"No," Castillo replied with a chuckle. "Sake will only dig you in deeper, and a Cubano is best eaten when one can truly enjoy it. Besides, the miso soup is better for your stomach as the salty broth gives you much needed electrolytes."

They ate in companionable silence, both not wanting their time together to be over, but knowing that it was inevitable.

When their meal was over, Castillo drove Sharon back to her hotel and softly kissed her goodbye . It was the last time she saw him,

A month later, she did not get her period. Stress, she told herself.

Another month passed, and she knew.

Her doctor confirmed it.

Sharon was pregnant with Martin Castillo's child. The news both terrified and elated her.

She was Catholic. And married– make that separated. Jackson Raydor was drunk and a gambler, not to mention a win-at-all-costs lawyer. They had two magnificent children, Ricky, who was 10, and Emily, who was 7.

She'd always wanted another child, but as her marriage to Jack crumbled and her career as a cop started taking off, there was never a right time.

But then she met the perfect man, one who both challenged and was her equal, and it happened.

Not knowing what to do, she left the kids with her neighbor Marcie, and ran to the safety of her family's cabin in Big Bear.

Her father had built it for her mother, and it was beautiful. The lake it overlooked was so clear it was like looking through glass. A library's worth of books lined the inner walls of the home, and the outside featured a generous deck with comfortable rocking chairs to sit in. Quite simply, the place had always been a haven for the O'Dwyer family during times good or otherwise.

Sharon spent the weekend thinking things over. Abortion was a sin, but she was also a modern, free-thinking Progressive, and believed that a woman had the right to choose what was best for her own self. But when that decision came to her own choice, Sharon was not exactly sure of her own beliefs.

She wished with every fiber of her being, that Martin Castillo were her husband, and that they would be spending the time in the cabin together, celebrating such blessed news.

Curled up on the big pine sleigh bed in the master bedroom, as an afternoon rain drizzled on the cabin's green tin roof, Sharon dreamed of just that.

In her sleep, she could see the love in his eyes. Feel the warmth of his breath on her still-flat tummy. And the gentle husk of his voice as he spoke loving words to her and their child, in a mish-mash of languages. But then, as dreams often do, the picture changed suddenly. She was in labor! Castillo was not there, and she could not find him. The pain was great, and she could feel that their baby was coming fast. It was far too early, and in the end there was so much blood.

Sharon awoke with a start! At first she felt fine, but soon gathered that she was not.

Somehow she made it to her car and drove down the road.

The nearest town was too far away.

Sharon knew she'd never make it, but then she came to old Doc Cottle's house, and she took a chance.

She was cold, and she could feel a warm stickiness between her legs.

Cottle greeted Sharon at his door with a gruff hello. She calmly told him what was happening, as he and his daughter Layne, who was home from her first year in medical school, helped Sharon inside.

Dr. Sherman Cottle had known Sharon's parents for forever, and had witnessed her grow up and go on to have two beautiful kids of her own.

He could not save her newest and littlest one.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	15. Chapter 15: Let's Play Ball

_**A/N: This is a HUGE chapter, but a lot needed to happen here. Sharon & Provenza continue the discussion of the aftermath of her miscarriage- so head's up to those who are sensitive. It is not very graphic. The Big Reveal of why Sharon hates pink flamingos is here, as is a whole lotta sweet angsty, cute fluffiness involving the L.A. and Miami captains and their loved ones. Go, Dodgers! **_

CHAPTER 15

He was late.

And the Dodgers were losing.

It was the top of the third inning, and Martin Castillo was, so-far, a no-show. Perhaps that was a good thing. No need to have him gloating over the score, as the L.A. team was being home-towned by the Miami Marlins.

"I'm gonna get something to eat," Rusty stated. "You want anything, Sharon?"

The woman frowned. "If we were home, I'd kill for a Dodger Dog, but since we're not, then no."

"Alrighty then."

"I'll go with you, Rusty," Sykes stated, while grabbing her purse. "I'm majorly needing some cotton candy." Then to Sharon, she leaned over to whisper, "I'll scope out the line for the ladies' room and text you my findings."

"Thank you, Amy."

Waiting until the younger set was gone, Provenza changed seats to sit next to Sharon. "Had I known what happened, I never would have pressed you like I did. What an idiot, I am!"

Sharon patted his arm. "You are not."

"Can I get that in writing, Captain?"

"Nice try, Lieutenant." Sharon sighed.

It had been a difficult conversation, but confessing her relationship with Castillo, and her resulting pregnancy and miscarriage, had been surprisingly freeing. Provenza, like so many times in recent years, had been tender and supportive, said all the right words, and even offered her a shoulder to cry on.

 _Her eyes are still slightly puffy,_ Provenza noted to himself. Damn, the hell she'd been through. It was no wonder Sharon took every opportunity to rip into Castillo at dinner the night before. Then again, to the other captain's credit, the poor guy didn't even know. The ability to sow the seeds of life was the heavy burden of being the male of the species.

"So, are you going to tell me about the pink flamingo bit?"

Sharon shrugged at Provenza's attempt to lighten the mood. It was sweet really, his caring, and by then the hated bird story had taken on epic proportions. It was time to finally give.

"I ended up spending a night in the local hospital in the Big Bear area, just for observation. When I returned home the only thing I wanted to do was hold my children. They came running out of our house as I drove into our home's driveway, and it was very emotional to see them. It physically hurt to get out of the car, but I did, and being with the kids was worth it. I don't know how long I hugged them, but eventually Ricky and Emily got squirmy, and I let them go. As it turned out, they both held homemade cards for me– it was my birthday, which I'd totally forgotten. And then Ricky pointed to something in the front yard. He was very excited."

The picture began to form in Provenza's head. He'd had a similar prank happen to him, once upon a time. "No shit."

"Forty. Pink. Tacky. Plastic. Flamingos." Sharon uttered each word with revulsion. "A gift from Jack, of course. It would have been bad enough, but with all that happened in Miami... with Martin, and then the baby, and–"

Provenza hugged her suddenly. "The knife just got twisted deeper. Damn it all anyway, Sharon." Tears were starting to form in the corners of his eyes, and he had to be careful or else he was going to lose it himself.

They broke away, just in time, as Sykes and Rusty returned.

"Look who we found!" Rusty called out happily to his mother and the lieutenant, as Martin Castillo respectfully trailed two paces behind.

 _Oh good, Daddy's here_ , Provenza couldn't help but think to himself.

Sharon couldn't help but hum wistfully when she saw Castillo.

He looked... cute. Dressed in lived-in work boots, faded jeans, and a black Miami Marlin's polo shirt, the man carried a bag of sunflower seeds and a bottle of water. A rolled-up box scoring form stuck out from the back pocket of his jeans, while the smile on his face was that of a little kid– happy and wonderfully infectious.

"Captain. Lieutenant."

"Captain," Sharon and Provenza greeted Castillo simultaneously.

The man took the seat next to Sharon, between her and Amy, while Provenza moved over so Rusty could sit on the other side of his mother. "It's good to see all of you. I'm glad you could make it today. I apologize for being so late, but something wonderful happened and–"

"I knew it!" Sykes interjected. "I knew there was a bigger reason, other than baseball, for that smile on your face! I've never seen you so happy, Martin Castillo."

The captain looked down at his feet and actually laughed. "That I am."

"So what gives?" Rusty begged to know.

Castillo fished into his back pocket and retrieved his phone. Despite a distaste for technology, he was quickly coming to love the camera on his smart phone. "We had a baby girl!"

Sharon's heart sank.

"After I left our breakfast this morning, I had some time to kill before the game, and with this being my day off, I stopped by one of the _Casa Mia_ job sites. There, I found my daughter Kara, on her knees - and almost nine months pregnant - setting subway tiles in a shower stall. She had no business doing such a thing in her condition, besides one of the kids was supposed to be doing it. So I told Kara to get the hell out of there, she told me to go frak myself, and then her water broke. I don't think I've ever driven faster, than we did to the hospital. An hour later she gave birth to a beautiful seven pound baby girl. Kacey Anne Thrace-Adams"

Happy for the diversion from the lopsided game not in their favor, the group watched as Castillo scrolled through a montage of pictures of the newborn and her glowing mother, along with a few of the proud _Abu,_ holding the sleeping child in the crook of his right arm.

Everyone agreed the baby was as perfect as Castillo declared.

"I cut the cord," he noted excitedly. "They had asked if I wanted to catch her, but I respectfully declined."

"Where was the father?" Sharon asked. "Kara's husband, Leland. Where was he?"

Castillo's frown matched Sharon's disapproving tone. "Seattle. He and his business partner are meeting with a potential investor for their new venture. A private jet service, for those willing to pay for personal air travel, but don't want to be tied to owning and keeping their own plane."

"Such as Lear-Jet Liberals?" suggested Provenza.

Castillo chuckled. "Yeah."

"Well, it was good you could be with her," Sharon pronounced, as her gaze lingered on a group shot of Castillo with the mother and child.

"That is until Kara kicked me out," the new grandfather nearly whined. "She said I was monopolizing the baby, and knew that I was supposed to be here at the game..."

Provenza burst out laughing, picturing the scene. "Classic!"

Castillo chuckled in spite of himself. "It was for the best, I suppose. She was Face-Timing with Lee when I left. One of the nurses recorded the birth and had sent the file to him. He and Kara were both in tears, as their daughter slept in her arms. It was good." Choked up at the memory, Castillo cleared his throat and looked down at his empty box scoring form. "So, what'd I miss?"

Sharon groaned.

Provenza passed over his own form for Castillo to copy. "It's been a shitty day for our team."

"Hey! We can still come back!" Sykes noted with overt optimism.

"Yeah," agreed Rusty. "Too bad Andy's not here. He's always a Dodgers good-luck charm. Right, Mom?"

Before Sharon could groan a response, Castillo begged the question she'd hoped would never be posed.

"Who is Andy?"

"Mom's boyfriend," Rusty stated.

" _And_ , one of her lieutenants," added Provenza.

Castillo's gaze bore into Sharon, and she thinned her lips in a forced smile. "We're just... friends..."

"With benefits," Sykes teasingly added. "Maybe."

"You're sleeping with one of your lieutenants?!" Castillo said overly loud, enough so that people in the seats near them started staring at the L.A.P.D. captain.

In that moment, Sharon turned five shades of red. "What our Dodgers need," she pronounced cooly, "Is for me to have my lucky cap. Had I known we'd be attending this game, I would've packed it before the trip, and we'd be winning."

"Your lucky cap– you mean the one that Andy gave you, right?" Rusty couldn't help but clarify.

"Yes," Sharon hissed. "The one that Andy gave me."

Castillo, who'd been filling out his scoring form, uttered something unintelligible under his breath.

"Just buy another one," Sykes suggested nervously. "I'm sure there's a concession stand selling them here at the stadium."

"No," Sharon stated with a wistful sigh. "I checked when we came in. They only carry Marlin gear."

A beat later, Castillo stood up suddenly, handed his effects to Sykes and excused himself before climbing the stairs to the stadium's main concourse.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group, once the Miami captain was gone. Rusty began surfing the internet on his phone, while Sykes texted Chuck back in L.A. Provenza kept his eye on Sharon, who was doing her best Darth Raydor.

The lieutenant had briefly dated a saucy Vietnamese manicurist back in the 1980's, and she'd taught him a number of dirty words in her native language. He could have sworn that one of them had been uttered by the exiting Castillo, along with the Viet version of the name Andrew.

"We should go, as well," Sharon declared. "We can beat the traffic exiting the stadium and be back at the hotel in time to have a swim before dinner."

Provenza grumbled. "There are only two more innings to go. We've come this far, why not see it through to the bitter end?"

"Exactly!" Sharon reached for her bag, and slipped her feet back into her worn Birkenstocks in preparation to depart. "We never should have come."

"Then why did you?" Provenza begged to know, as he peered around the oblivious Rusty, who was lost in his i-Phone.

"Because I wanted to see the game," Sharon replied honestly, while Sykes happily texted a heart-shaped smiley-face emoji to her boyfriend Chuck. "And, I thought it would be rude if we didn't accept the captain's offer."

Provenza couldn't help but snort at the irony. "You're doing an awful job of trying to push him away."

"Push who away?"

 _Did she really just ask that?_ Provenza couldn't believe that a woman so in control of her life could be so messed up in matters of the heart. Being happily committed to a wonderful woman like Patrice, afforded him the clarity of knowing what true love looked like, and from his vantage point Sharon Raydor was as hopelessly besotted with Martin Castillo as he was with her.

"You know who I mean."

Sharon glared at Provenza, point blank.

"It's understandable. What you went through was total hell. It's only natural that you'd want to run from the source of your pain."

"I'm not running from anything."

"Which is exactly why you're here. You just don't know it yet."

Sharon frowned and fought the urge to stick her tongue out at Provenza. Thankfully, Rusty's carefree laughter broke her dark thoughts, causing to turn her attention to him. Still glued to his phone, Sharon couldn't help but wonder what was holding her son's rapt attention. A quick glance at the screen made her shake her head in amazement.

"You're watching the game on your phone? The one we're attending?"

Rusty looked up, slightly embarrassed. "Um, yeah."

"Oh Rusty," Sharon sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me?"

Sharon pulled him over and quickly kissed his left cheek. "Too late, I already do. So is the score any different on your phone than it is here at the park?"

He loved being loved by her. Rusty offered Sharon an expanded view of his phone's screen, along with a better explanation of his actions. "I actually got a text from Ricky, telling me to check this out," Rusty said of his adopted older brother. "Turns out Marty's down in the Dodger dugout, goofing around with the team like they're old friends."

"What?!" Sharon all but ripped the phone from her son's hand. Squinting at the screen, she removed her glasses for a clearer, closer look. Sure enough, there was Martin Castillo, as home in the visiting Dodger dugout as he would've been in a squad room, shooting the breeze with the manager and a number of players– even grabbing 1rst baseman Adrian Gonzales and holding him in a serious-looking, but good-natured headlock. "I don't believe it," Sharon cried after watching until the broadcast cut back to the game. "The man's insane!"

"I know! I just got Ricky's text, saying: **MartyDodgersDugoutNow**. So I checked it out, and then BAM! Cool, right?"

Sharon took a moment to digest what she'd just seen. "I don't understand... how..."

"Ricky's in New York, on a consulting job, and he was chillin' in Central Park, watching the game on his laptop–"

"I know, I know," Sharon interrupted. "I know where Ricky is this week, but how did he know about Marty?"

Over hearing all of this, Provenza grinned to himself. The fact that his friend and superior used the familiar when speaking of Captain Castillo, and rather naturally, spoke volumes.

Rusty nonchalantly downed the last of his jumbo diet cola. "I got a Facetime alert from Ricky just as Marty was inviting us to the game, so naturally I introduced them. The two hit it off instantly."

"Of course they did," Sharon whimpered. "This is not happening."

Provenza leaned in, unable to contain the irony. "Oh, but it is, Captain."

Her stomach was churning and she just wanted to get the hell out of there. But as her luck would have it, Castillo returned to their group, almost by magic.

"There," the man stated gruffly while shoving a Dodgers cap down on Sharon's head. "Now our team will win. Happy now, Captain?" Castillo then sat back down next to Sharon, folded his hands together in his lap, and returned his attention to the game.

She dared not to look at him. Instead, Sharon studied her new cap while considering the how's and why's of what had just happened. "I saw you with Gonzales. You threatened them for this?"

"Of course not," Castillo replied softly. There was hurt in his tone, as he thoughtfully updated his box score. "I asked for the cap, but I did promise to kick their collective asses if they lose. Kershaw handed over the goods and promised a win. For you."

The last words hit directly to Sharon's heart, as it started to break even more. If she even dared to doubt Castillo, the fresh and distinctive autograph of the Dodger's star pitcher Clayton Kershaw on the bill of the cap was proof enough.

"Ricky said Kersh' is your favorite player," noted Castillo.

Sharon swallowed. "He is."

"Good. He's bar-none the best pitcher in the MLB."

Sharon hummed while she continued to replay Castillo's words in her mind. _Our team_. The emphasis being the word _'our_ '. "I thought you were rooting for the Marlins."

Castillo huffed. "I'm on the Board, here at the stadium. And the Marlin's community outreach department makes significant donations to _Casa Mia_ , so I wear their colors. But in reality, my heart bleeds Dodger Blue. Always has, and always will."

Sykes, having picked up the conversation at the last minute, hugged Castillo. "Is this guy the best, or what?!"

"He is," Sharon agreed without thinking. She was about to say more, but the Dodgers outfielder, Yasiel Puig blasted a line drive home run to the left field, scoring three runs to put them in a one-run lead in the top of the 9th inning.

"Way to go, Yasi!" Sykes jumped up, cheering wildly. "I hate to admit it, but I'm a sucker for bad boys."

"Aren't all women?" Provenza asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, but ya gotta admit, Puig _is_ pretty cute," Rusty offered as the half inning ended with no more scoring by the Dodgers.

The lieutenant groaned, causing Sharon to smile to herself. Out of the corner of her left eye, she saw the bad boy known as Martin Castillo put his arm around Sykes in a fatherly hug. It was quite hard indeed, not to fall for such a man.

Everyone held their breath as the bottom of the 9th began. The Dodgers' closer, Kenley Jansen, took the mound and immediately struck out the first Marlins batter. The next at-bat proved troublesome, and ended up with a walk to 1rst base. That set things up for the next Miami player, who would serve as the winning run, to come to the plate. Two balls and a strike were called, before, thankfully to all the Dodgers fans in attendance and the dismay of all who rooted for the Marlins, the hitter popped out to right field.

"Come on, Kenley." Sharon urged as two more Marlins got on to load the bases.

"He'll do it." Castillo grunted confidently.

Sharon took a sideways glance at her former lover, as they all took to their feet. The stadium had come alive for the final Marlin to come to the plate, and she could feel Castillo's radiant determination at her side.

The fingers of his right hand grazed her left, and she allowed him to take her small hand in his much bigger one.

"He'll do it," Castillo promised again. "You'll see."

Sharon gave his hand a squeeze, and felt his warmth. Her racing pulse matched his. Rough callouses covered Castillo's palm, testament to his work alongside the kids he was helping. They abraded her softer, desk duty-only skin, quite pleasantly, and it was hard not to remember how he'd touched her so tenderly in the past.

Jansen was down to his last throw. Naturally, the count was full– with thee balls and two strikes. Unless the Marlins' batter fouled out, the game would be over one way or the other.

"I can hear ol' Vinny now." Provenza said of the famed Dodger broadcaster, Vin Scully, as Kenly Jansen set to throw to the awaiting Marlin batter.

In an instant, the pitch was thrown and the crack of breaking ash marred the hushed silence of the stadium. The ball soared and arced to deep centerfield... and landed directly into the awaiting mitt of Yasiel Puig.

The game was over, and the Los Angeles Dodgers had won in a come from behind victory.

So what happened next, really came as no surprise. In fact, it felt like the most natural thing in the world...

No one really knew who was the instigator, but there they were– Captains Sharon Raydor and Martin Castillo, in each other's arms, their lips together. It was a kiss of celebration and noticeable familiarity, as her hands rested on his strong shoulders, while his held her tightly denim-clad ass.

Speechless, the others in their group watched as the captains continued to hold each other for just slightly longer than a respectable amount of time.

"So say we all," Castillo murmured softly as they parted.

"So say we all," Sharon repeated in flushed agreement from beneath her new 'lucky' Dodgers cap.

Realizing where they were and who they were surrounded by, the two captains parted in a matter-of-fact fashion. They, along with the others in the group, took a moment to savor and digest their team's epic win. The stands were clearing out fast, and there was a prevailing air of _What now?_ among the people.

"I'm going back to the hospital, to spend more time with my girls," Castillo told the group as they gathered their things in order to exit the stadium. "Would anyone like to come see the baby?"

Groans could be heard from both Rusty and Provenza. Babies weren't their thing. Sharon was torn. She wanted nothing more than to go with her former lover, and meet his daughter and granddaughter. But it hit too close to home, and she didn't think that her heart could take it.

"I really should get back to the hotel and call our unit," Sharon explained as Castillo began to frown. "I need to check in with Assistant-Chief Taylor, as Lt. Flynn is in charge while I'm away, and I really do need to see what's happening with the current cases."

"Andy Flynn."

"Yes, _Andy Flynn_." Sharon set her bag over her shoulder and hoped her rolled eyes were shielded by the bill of her Dodgers cap. Men, no matter how old or accomplished they became, were little boys at their very core. "With Louie here in Miami with me, that leaves Andy as the next highest in the chain of command at Major Crimes."

"A startling notion," added Provenza.

"Understood," Castillo replied with a solemn nod.

Picking up on her mentor's blue mood, Sykes hooked her arm in his and smiled cheerfully. "I'll come. I can get an Uber back to the hotel. It's been forever since I last saw Kara, and who doesn't love that New Baby Smell?"

"Someone who doesn't care for the Old Diaper Stench," grumbled Provenza as they exited the area.

"I can't wait," Sykes assured Castillo.

The man pulled her into a hug as they walked together. It was a sight that pulled at Sharon's heart, and made her want more than anything to join Sykes in meeting with Castillo's adopted family. If he had been that excited about them, then how excited would he have been about a child of his very own?

It was a question that continued to nag at her.

"Keep pushing and eventually he'll quit trying," Provenza whispered from behind.

Sharon hummed at the notion. She wasn't quite sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	16. Chapter 16: Domestic Scenes

_**A/N: This is another biggie of a chapter, but totally fun stuff throughout. There's an angsty bit regarding Andy, on Sharon's part. Our heroine has so much on her plate, right? But we know that she's got strong shoulders... especially when they wear a particularly famous red dress!**_

CHAPTER 16

The lecture she'd attended had an engaging speaker, and had been as interesting and thought provoking, not to mention all the other good things that it was billed to be in the conference literature.

The only problem was that Sharon Rador couldn't recall one word of what had been discussed and learned during the 2hr presentation.

She was too busy thinking about taking off her shoes, changing into her swimsuit and a paraeu, and joining her son at either the beach or the hotel pool.

Rusty's reply to Sharon's text in askance of his whereabouts said he was down at the beach. She smiled at that, given the fact that Rusty had an aversion to 'un-controlled' water and much preferred calm swimming pools to the rawness of the ocean's rolling surf.

The late afternoon sun was not as direct as it was in the morning and didn't require a need for the protective shade of a hat, but Sharon liked having an excuse for wearing her new Dodgers cap again and grabbed it, along with her sunglasses on her way out the door of her hotel room.

The slap-slap of her Havianas flip-flops on the tiled floor of the lobby gave way to a softened rhythm once she reached the sandy path to the beach. The sights and sounds of other vacationers made her smile, as did the unmistakable air of coconut-scented sun block on the gentle ocean breeze. Once she found the palapa that Rusty had reserved for them, Sharon set her small beach bag down on a chaise lounge and scanned the shoreline for her son.

He was a few yards away, dressed in a pair of black and white-flowered board shorts and an ash grey LAPD t-shirt. Rusty was standing at the shoreline with a baseball glove on one hand, and a determined but beyond-happy look on his face.

Sharon smiled at the sight of the young Millennial, and was about to call out to him when she heard the familiar bass of Martin Castillo.

"Good one, Kid! Nice throw! Right where it counts!"

Her eyes went right to him.

The man was wearing jeans once again, along with a dark blue plaid shirt, worn open and over a dark brown tank-style undershirt. Castillo's sleeves were rolled up, exposing his tanned arms, and he was barefoot in the shoreline. A worn fielder's glove was on his left hand.

Rusty trotted up to explain, before Sharon could speak.

"I hope it's alright that I called Marty. Yesterday's game was so amazing, it really got me into the idea of playing baseball. Not professionally, but maybe trying out in college or volunteering with kids. But then I remembered that I never played as a kid, much less even got to throw a ball around with someone. So I figured I should find out if I was any good at it first."

"And so you asked the captain here," Sharon surmised.

"The kid's got a good arm, but more importantly he has the desire to play and have fun," Castillo assessed as he joined the pair. "That's all he really needs."

Sharon hummed sweetly. "That's wonderful, Honey," she told Rusty honestly. "But you could've asked me. I actually do know how to throw a baseball, and I'm sure Marty is quite busy with his caseload."

"Actually, I'm not," Castillo interjected. "I had a half day. Things are slow, and I have a feeling that the top brass is having pity for the Old Man."

Rusty couldn't help but snicker at Castillo's explanation.

Sharon glared at her son. "If you, Emily, and Ricky- or any of the squad, ever call me the Old Woman, I will disown you like that." To add emphases, Sharon snapped her fingers audibly.

"Point taken, _Young Lady_."

"Much better," Sharon cooed as she lovingly pulled her son close. To Castillo, she heard herself ask, "Since we've been here, Rusty and I have gotten in the habit of having an early dinner here at the hotel pool bar. Would you care to join us?"

Castillo thoughtfully squeezed his fielder's glove. "I'd love to, but Kara and the baby are going home today. Leland is home now, too, and I promised to make dinner for them tonight."

"Oh," Sharon replied solemnly.

"But you're welcome to join us," Castillo added quickly. He looked down at his feet in the sand, fully expecting rejection.

"You cook?!" came Sharon and Rusty's combined query.

"Yes," Castillo replied as a matter of fact while returning his dark-eyed gaze to them both.

Rusty resisted the urge to hug the older man. To his mother he stated, "A home cooked meal sure sounds great, right?" Rusty nudged Sharon and added, "I mean, one that I didn't make."

Sharon looked longingly at the beckoning ocean. Dinner with Castillo and his family would mean missing out on her swim and casual one-on-one-time with her ever-maturing son, but she had to admit the notion of such an evening sounded wonderful. Presumably edible food and the chance to play with a newborn baby, all while in the company of her one-time lover, were wonderful prospects indeed.

"That sounds lovely," Sharon heard herself say. "Rusty and I accept your offer, Captain, with much appreciation."

"Sweet!" Rusty engulfed his mother in a flat-out bear hug, nearly knocking her to the sand.

"Right, um..." Sharon stammered as she regained her composure. Castillo stood at the ready, his strong arms waiting to catch her if need be. To both men, Sharon smiled warmly and stated, "I'm going to go back up to my room and change, because I can't rightly go to someone's house for the first time looking like this."

"You look wonderful," Castillo told her. "Nice cap, by the way."

Sharon blushed at the complement, as Rusty looked on in fascination at both adults. "Thank you, it's new," she replied sassily to Castillo before including her son in the conversation. "Okay. I'll meet you both in the lobby in thirty minutes."

"Yeah right," Rusty teased with a nudge to Castillo's shoulder.

"Never underestimate your mother, Son."

Still within earshot at she retreated back up to the hotel, Sharon couldn't help but smile wistfully.

25 minutes later...

Sharon found them in the open-air lobby, sitting opposite each other, in matching and very comfortable rattan wing chairs. It appeared that Rusty had gone to his room to change clothes as well, as he was wearing chinos with the Tommy Bahama shirt he'd splurged on earlier in the week, while a pair of Topsiders on his feet added to his vacation look. Castillo had tidied up as well, buttoning his shirt and donning the pair of work boots he'd worn the day before. Both men jumped up upon seeing Sharon, and looked on with appreciation as she neared.

"Perfect timing, Mom," Rusty declared. "Your hair looks amazing!"

Castillo continued staring. "That's a nice color on you," he said of Sharon's outfit, once he found his voice.

"Thank you," Sharon replied to both.

To be honest, she felt like a million bucks, even if her hotel room looked like it had been trashed by a group of college girls on Spring Break. After dismissing a number of dresses and jeans/shirt combinations, Sharon finally settled on a long red jersey-knit skirt and matching long-sleeve top that tied at the waist. The set had been a last minute addition to her suitcase, but paired with a khaki colored camisole underneath, the ensemble was the right amount of casual and dressy for the occasion. Her hair and makeup had been a simple enough process, a shot of dry shampoo spray and a hit with a blow dryer and brush fixed her hair, along with quick touch ups to her mascara, blush, and lip gloss re-set her face. All that and a dab of Loree Rodkin Gothic 1 perfume oil behind her ears, just for good measure, along with some simple black heels and she was good to go.

Sharon left her trademark glasses behind in her room. She didn't feel the need to wear the mask of the captain of the L.A.P.D Major Crimes Division on such a night.

A happy but uneasy silence befell the group, as the older adults continued to appear that they were not staring at each other, while in fact they actually were.

Rusty picked up a large pink plush dolphin that had been laying on a nearby table, and waved it in front of his mother. The toy had a detachable lavender baby dolphin with it, and was impossibly cute. "I got this for the baby," he announced. "It was in the window of one of the hotel's gift shops, and I thought she'd like it when she gets older."

The spell broken, Sharon refocused her attention on the younger of the two men before her, "Oh, Rusty! It's adorable. I know she'll love it."

Rusty shrugged. He hoped so. He figured that little Kacey already had a million things to her name, but one more couldn't hurt. As a kid raised by Sharon Beck, toys were a luxury item to be had, right along with food and clean clothes. From what Marty had said of his adopted daughter, Kara had a similar upbringing herself. No doubt she would understand and appreciate the gesture. "The kid will probably just slobber all over it and get it nasty looking, but that's cool too."

Castillo cleared his throat. "We should go. I have some things to pick up at the market before we go to the house."

Sharon nodded. "Then let's be on our way."

The three made their way to the nearby port-cochere, where Castillo's ride, a shiny black Ford F-150 pickup, waited at the curb.

"Marty's got a Cowboy Cadillac," Rusty observed excitedly.

"Indeed he does," Sharon noted with a quirked eyebrow. She wondered where her son had heard such a term. Lt. Provenza, most likely. To Castillo, she purred, "Not exactly a standard-issue police vehicle."

"It's mine," the man growled, then smiled proudly. Castillo tipped the valet as Rusty got into the truck's extra cab and Sharon took the passenger seat up in front, then came around and took his position in the driver's seat. "My old Pontiac finally died, and I got this to use for both personal and work," Castillo explained as they drove off. "I always thought I'd get a Porche in my old age, but when you're fixing up and rebuilding houses, something like this is more practical."

Sharon looked about the cabin. It was showroom-spotless and nicely appointed with leather seats that were butter-soft, a rich sound system that played a familiar classic by Carlos Santana, and an a/c that gently cooled the entire space.

"Very nice, Captain," Sharon stated with a more than audible hum.

"Thank you, Captain," Castillo grunted in reply.

In the backseat of the cabin, Rusty chuckled to himself. It was only so obvious. The two captains needed to get a room. Fast.

# # #

The scene between the elders continued as Rusty dutifully pushed the small shopping wagon through the grocery store.

Martin Castillo was clearly in control of the situation, while not surprisingly, Sharon Raydor continued to simultaneously question his authority and offer up her own pointed but thoughtful suggestions as they made their way through the bountiful produce department.

"What are we making tonight?"

" _I'm_ making Pad Thai."

Sharon nodded then frowned at Castillo's reply. She thought a moment, broaching the situation as best she could without being too judgmental.

"Pad Thai," she repeated his words thoughtfully.

"Yes," he replied while examining the organic green onions. "It's Kara's favorite."

"I'm sure it is, but do you know if she's breast-feeding?"

It was a competition between Castillo and Rusty, as to who looked more mortified at such a question. Both men turned as red as the nearby display of strawberries. Rusty silently picked up a basket of the sweet red fruit and added it to their wagon. He was pretty sure that was what was noted on the list in Castillo's scrawled handwriting, and scratched it off dutifully.

"Pad Thai is garnished with peanuts," Sharon clarified. "If Kara is breast-feeding then the peanuts could pass to the baby and trigger an allergic reaction."

Castillo grunted, then said in a soft but deadly serious tone, "That's bullshit. Kara loves peanut butter. Craved it throughout her pregnancy. Ate gallons of it." To add emphasis, the man grabbed a bag of the nuts, unsalted and in the shell, and tossed them into Rusty's wagon. "Besides, recent studies show that if the mother ingests peanuts during her term, the child will be less likely to have an allergy as they mature in life."

Sharon bit her lip and tried not to laugh. Clearly her former lover was well-read on the subject.

Rusty rolled his eyes and turned to a lady next to him beside the lemons. She too, had observed the commentary between his mother and the glowering man. Casually, Rusty picked up what looked to be the best one out of the pile and said, " _Parents_. You gotta love 'em."

Sharon's heart skipped a beat.

It was quite evident, as if it hadn't already been before, that her son was seeing Martin Castillo as a potential father figure. That was something Rusty had done in the very early days when he first came to her, with Andy Flynn, but it seemed to be less so, in recent months.

She'd spoken briefly to Andy on the phone the day before, when she'd called in to check on their cases and speak with Chief Taylor. He'd been wonderfully upbeat, and wanted to know how things were going at the conference, and with Rusty and the others. Not once did he tease her about flamingos, and even asked if Sharon was getting enough beach time in, knowing how much she loved sand and sea. When she replied that she'd yet to even step on the water's edge, Andy then told her that he wished that he could be there to join her for a romantic moonlit walk.

The lieutenant's comment made Sharon feel more than a twinge of guilt. If Andy knew about Martin- not just her past history with the him, but also her recent interludes, and Rusty's new and very obvious devotion towards the man, it would absolutely crush him.

The two men were vastly different. While both Flynn and Castillo were honorable to the core, Andy was no match to the enigma that was Martin. Andy was kind and sweet, and a thoughtfully steady provider, while Martin was a simmering tide of inner passion and outward strength. Comparing the men side-by-side, it was clear that the former was less of a capital-A Alpha Male than the former, and as a result, Castillo could potentially be more attractive to Rusty, who lacked and possibly craved a more dominant male figure in his life.

 _Frakking parenting blogs,_ Sharon thought to herself. _They mirror self help/relationship books way too closely._

"You guys seem to have things under control here," she told the men, who were staging a two-person assault on the supermarket. "So I'm going to the Floral Department and get Kara some flowers. That is, if it is alright with you, Captain?"

Castillo caught Sharon's wry taunt and actually grinned. "Good. Rusty and I will get the rice noodles and chicken breasts, and then see if we can find some decent Thai beer in this place."

Sharon envisioned such a scene, and tried not to laugh. No doubt Castillo would scrutinize each package of poultry, and then instruct Rusty on the positives and negatives of each imported brew. She had no idea her former lover was so domestic, a fact that which was absolutely adorable on him.

"What kind of flowers does Kara like?" Sharon called out to Castillo as he and Rusty departed for the rest of their hunt.

Castillo halted, then threw back, "No roses- she says they're cliched."

"Of course," Sharon replied.

"But she likes daisies," Castillo offered finally before he and Rusty disappeared in a sea of after-work shoppers.

Martin Castillo's daughter hated roses, but liked daisies. It was a fact that didn't surprise Sharon one bit. She could hardly wait to meet the young woman who'd so deftly captured the former DEA agent's heart.

Ten minutes later they reconvened at the check-out line. Sharon noted that the men had also picked up three pints of premium vanilla ice cream and a split of Veuve-Cliquot champagne. Their grocery bill would be huge for so few items, but Castillo didn't seem to mind. The woman shopper who'd observed them earlier in Produce, was in the next lane over. Sharon smiled at her, then tucked herself closer to Martin.

His hand felt wonderfully at home, as it rested at the small of her back.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	17. Chapter 17: La Familia

_**A/N: So here we are at Kara's house- let the organized chaos of love begin! And no, Castillo's not one bit jealous of Andy... Yes, Sharon & Martin are totally Laura & Bill redux from BSG... I've always thought there is a great deal of Laura Roslin in Sharon Raydor. We didn't get much to see of Martin Castillo, back in the days of Miami Vice, but when we did he showed glimmers of the admiral that would come to pass- or had come before- if the timeline of canon is correct... Enjoy this Super-Sized chapter! **_

CHAPTER 17

Standing at the doorstep of the Thrace-Adams' tidy Mid-Century Modern, Sharon felt the return of the nervous anticipation she'd been experiencing since the announcement of her trip to Miami. She'd felt fine upon agreeing to dinner with Castillo and his family, but now that the moment had arrived she was ready to book.

They'd ditched their footwear, per Castillo's decree that the household was a shoe-free zone. Sharon sighed as she looked at her discarded heels. As wonderful as it felt to be free of them, it would also mean that a quick exit was not an option.

"Are you okay," Castillo husked in askance as he pushed the doorbell with a free finger. He and Rusty carried all of their purchases, save for Sharon's rustic bouquet of daisies for Kara, which she held in her left arm.

"Yes. Fine. Just recovering from your driving," Sharon half-lied as Rusty snorted behind her.

Before Castillo could wage a retort, the door opened and everything was quickly forgotten.

A young blond woman, dressed in paint-spattered denim overalls over a black tank top, stood before them while holding a tiny pink bundle in her arms.

"Hey, Boss!"

Standing at his side, Sharon watched as Castillo put down his load and gently wipe his daughter's overgrown bangs from her eyes, before hugging her and his granddaughter. Sharon could barely hear Castillo's whispered greeting, "What do you hear, Kara?"

"Nothing but the rain– and a cryin' baby, lately," came Kara's reply.

Castillo pulled back and grinned before saying, "Then grab your gun and bring in the cat."

Kara returned his favor with a smile of her own, and replied at what was likely a well-shared tradition between her and the older man, "Boom-boom-boom."

"Give me my girl," Castillo ordered gently as he disarmed Kara of her child and entered the house, leaving Sharon and Rusty to stand alone with their hostess.

"I thought _I_ was your girl!" Kara shouted over her shoulder.

"You were," Castillo replied back, "But then you grew up!"

Kara rolled her eyes and faced her guests, "So, you must be Sharon and Rusty!"

Before Sharon could reply, a small dog whizzed past Kara and out the front door– only to glom onto Rusty and begin to hump his leg like there was no tomorrow.

"Um, yes," Sharon replied as she was engulfed in an equally enthusiastic hug by the little mutt's mistress.

Kara pulled back and rolled her eyes. "Cut it out, Louie– you little frakker! At least wait until the company comes inside, before you have a go at them!" Almost immediately the dog did as he was told, and retreated into the warm glow of the home. Kara apologized sincerely as she took Sharon's flowers and Castillo's abandoned groceries, and ushered her guests inside. "He's a good dog, really, but humping's just his thing," she said as they made their way to the main living area. "I do worry what's gonna happen once Kace' starts crawling."

Sharon tried not to laugh at the somewhat problematic image. "I'm sure she'll be able to handle herself by then."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Kara replied as the pink in her cheeks dissipated.

Both women liked each other immediately.

Sharon watched peripherally, as Castillo stood with a straight-backed younger man who was dressed in grey slacks and a navy blue polo shirt. The two appeared to be exchanging tight pleasantries. Both men were roughly the same height, though Castillo cast an impressive shadow over the man who Sharon assumed to be Leland Adams, Kara's husband. Begrudgingly, Castillo relinquished custody of the infant to him, and made his way toward the home's open-concept kitchen.

"Lee, Babe– come meet the Old Man's lady and her son!"

Snapping to attention, the handsome man did as his wife ordered, fully confirming Sharon's suspicions. Kara kissed her daughter, then playfully smacked her man on his butt before leaving to put the bouquet of daisies in water.

"A pleasure to meet you, Sharon– is it? And Rusty? Welcome to our crazy little world! I'm Kara's husband, Lee. I see you've met my bad ass wife, and our angelic daughter. Not to mention our first child– Louie, with all due apologies." Lee then gave Sharon a one-armed hug in as best a way that his British sensibilities would allow, and then shook Rusty's hand generously.

A teenage girl close to Rusty's age, appeared soon on the scene, and offered her own introduction. "I'm Kat– Lee and Kara's first kid," she explained. "Well, kinda."

Kara reappeared, and hugged Kat from behind. "Kat's one of the best and brightest from the Casa Mia program. She's lived with us, going on what– three years now?"

"Four," Lee corrected.

"Four," Kara repeated. "Wow. She was a total brat at first, but now she's grown on us..."

"Like, Louie," Kat piped in.

Kara tugged on the teen's bushy brown hair playfully. "Yeah, like Louie... and we're still keeping you both."

"Plus with Kat, we get free childcare of this little one," Lee joined in gamely as he softly rocked his infant daughter as she began to fuss.

"Slave Labor," translated Kat.

"Don't I know it," Rusty sympathized.

"Rusty!" Sharon retorted with embarrassment, to which the young man playfully smirked while enjoying himself fully. "It's a pleasure for both of us to meet all of you, and be invited into your lovely home. Thank you."

"No, thank you," Kara replied honestly, as she ushered the group to a bright red over-sized sofa sectional. A distressed trunk served as a coffee table, with several books and a tablet computer atop it. "We've been dying to meet you guys."

"Same here," Sharon told their hostess. "Marty has spoken glowingly of you."

"Awww!"

Lee handed off the baby to Kara before excusing himself to see to a phone call he needed to make, as Kat invited Rusty out to the back patio to check out the small kidney shaped swimming pool in the fenced yard.

"Your home is lovely," Sharon repeated as she felt Kara studying her intently. "Did you do the work yourself?"

"Yep."

Sharon swallowed. She felt like a suspect in one of her own interrogation rooms.

"What are your intentions toward the Old Man?"

 _So there it is._

Sharon sighed with relief, with the question finally asked. Before she could even select her words, Kara continued her interview.

"The man's a monk. Working all hours. Volunteering his spare time. At night he goes home, makes a bowl of noodles for dinner, drinks some tea, reads, and goes to bed– alone. He never brings anyone around, and there's never even a trace of a woman in his house or vehicle. Then a couple days ago he mentions you and your son– and he can't stop smiling."

Sharon dug her toes into the updated white shag rug set over the natural bamboo flooring. "The same could be said in regard to you and your family. There are a million pictures of the baby on his phone, and an equal number of stories to go with them. I think it's very safe to say that Marty loves all of you very much."

Kara smiled at Sharon's dodge. Before she could reply, Lee called to her from another room in the house. He needed help setting up a Skype with someone on their home computer, and needed her technical skills. Kara rolled her eyes, then sprang to her feet.

"Idiot man," groaned the blonde, "Hold my kid. She's a sweetpea, but if she fusses give a shout. You can give her some sugar water from the bottle on the coffee table, if you want. This conversation is not over!"

Left alone with the newborn in her arms, Sharon couldn't help but be grateful that Leland Adams was not tech-savvy. Kara was every bit Martin Castillo's daughter, genetics be damned.

She couldn't resist placing a kiss to the baby's soft cheek. "You _are_ a sweetpea, aren't you?" Kacey-Ann cooed appropriately, as Sharon stood to walk the child around the room.

It was indeed a beautiful home. Meticulously renovated, the Mid-Mod featured clean lines and large open spaces. Sharon imagined that a flood of golden Miami sunshine fed the main room's generously sized windows during daytime hours, highlighting the many pieces of boldly painted art that hung on a number of walls. An oversized canvas hung unframed, on one wall. The solitary piece, an abstract swirl of boldly painted primary colors, was an obvious focal point, and stood in stark contrast to the overall neutral grey tones of the room.

Sharon neared the painting, squinting to make out the slashing signature in the bottom right-hand corner.

"Thrace," she made out softly to the baby. "Your mommy is very talented."

Kacey snoozed happily in Sharon's arms, completely uninterested in the brilliance of the painting.

Sounds and aromas from the kitchen, steered Sharon's attention away from one art form to another. She turned to find Martin Castillo in total command, with his sleeves rolled up again, a professional-style apron tied low around his waist, and a well-used hand towel thrown over his left shoulder. At some point he'd put Rusty and Kat to work as his sous-chefs, and they could be seen dutifully chopping and mixing various ingredients , per his instructions. Castillo warmly growled orders as guided both teens like an experienced kitchen boss, to which they never failed to respond with a quick, "Yes, Sir!"

Once, Sharon caught Castillo watching her over the organized chaos. She met his gaze with a nod, and a warm smile.

Kara and Lee returned to the group, just as dinner was served.

The food was as delicious as promised, if not better. Sharon had never had such good Pad Thai in her life. Martin's version put her favorite L.A. takeout joint to shame.

The table conversation was wildly various.

Kara regaled Sharon and Rusty with how she and the late Zak first met then Lt. Castillo– by by brazenly attempting to steal his car in the parking lot of the Miami-Dade P.D. Instead of punishing them both with arrest, he'd taken them home with him, thus beginning the infancy of the Casa Mia program, which had grown to a thriving success.

Castillo explained to his family that he and Sharon had met years before, and she revealed her first impression of him– scary and all too serious, which caused the whole group– the man himself included, to burst into laughter.

"And he's changed much since?" was Lee's quick rhetorical askance. More giggling and laughs ensued. Castillo actually wiped tears from the corners of his eyes.

Rusty gave a beautiful telling of Sharon's heartfelt acceptance of his sexuality, and how much she means to him.

Lee told a rather humorous story of the new financial investor to his airline business, Apollo Air, which was named for Lee's call-sign in the British Royal Navy. The bennefactor, a wealthy British doctor with eccentric tendencies, attended his first hockey game with Lee and his partner, a lawyer named Romo Lampkin, while the two men were in Seattle. Clearly Dr. Baltar had no idea what he was getting into, and arrived to the game in a full tuxedo, and with a tall blonde bombshell in a sexy red dress on his arm. "I thought Romo was going to fall out from under his cane," Lee said of his partner upon seeing the pair.

And of course, there was no shortage of spirited debate at the table, often courtesy of the younger set.

"Oh come on," Kat chided Rusty. "You call yourself a Golden Girls fan?! How can you not know that the house isn't really here in Miami? It's practically right in your frakking back yard, in frakking Burbank, California!"

"Kat," Lee gently warned.

"What?! It's not like I said _fuck_ ," the teen saucily bit back.

"Point taken," noted Kara. When Lee gave an exasperated sigh, his wife nudged him with her elbow. "Zak told me once, that as a kid, you apparently thought there was really a 5-0 unit in Hawaii."

"Yeah, well..."

Sharon couldn't help but smile.

She'd missed having such family time. Having grown up with it as a girl, Sharon regretted not having it, for the most part, with her own family. At least when her children were little. Jack was frequently drunk at the dinner table, stupid tipsy at best, angry and belligerent at his worst. Ricky and Emily had learned early on that it was best to eat fast and excuse themselves as soon as possible, something that Sharon had wished she could've done as well.

"Um, is there dessert?"

Castillo grinned widely at his daughter's askance. "Of course."

As he got up from the table, the man's text alert sounded on his phone. It was the third time over the course of their dinner, and Castillo quietly scrolled through his messages while on the way to the kitchen. Rusty and Kat followed dutifully to help with preparation, but respectfully kept their distance and voices low as the Miami captain read his most recent message.

"Here we go again," Lee stated tightly at the table.

"Not now, Babe," Kara warned under her breath.

From her vantage point, Sharon watched the familiar dance of the parent who was also a person of great responsibility in their job. Whatever was happening on the other end of the texts must have been of tremendous importance, otherwise the torn look on Castillo's weathered face would not have been there. He was doing his best to stay in the moment with the kids, and for Kara. The jury was still out for Lee.

Moments later the Castillo, Rusty and Kat returned with glossy black ceramic bowls filled with vanilla ice cream, sliced mango, and whole strawberries. It was a beautiful presentation, but noticeably absent was Castillo's own serving. Instead of taking his seat at the table, he whispered something into Kara's ear and then thoughtfully excused himself from the group.

"I'm sorry. I have to go," he husked to Sharon on his way out.

"You're a hypocrite, Martin," Lee said under his breath, just loud enough for Castillo to still hear.

"Takes one to know one," Castillo growled back.

Those at the table wordlessly dug into their dessert. It was a delicious combination, with the sweet fresh mango and strawberries married to the silkiness of the French Vanilla Bean ice cream. It was a shame that few could enjoy it through the tension in the air.

"Marty showed us a really cool way to open a mango," Rusty offered cheerfully, while breaking the palpable ice. "You cut around the middle, then just pull the two halves apart, and BOOM– the giant pit comes right out! No waste!" When the table still remained silent, he asked, "Too soon?"

"Uh, yeah," Kat drawled with rolled eyes.

Sharon dabbed at her mouth, then politely excused herself.

Luckily, she made it to the front porch before Castillo was gone.

He was seated on a bench, methodically tying the laces of his work boots. When Sharon arrived he looked up at her with darkly pained eyes.

"You don't have to say anything," Sharon told him. "I understand fully. So does Rusty. So does your family."

"Not Lee."

Sharon waved a dismissive hand. "He'll come around, but for now I think you've got Kat in your corner. The jury's still out on Louie The Humper."

Castillo tried to smile, but couldn't. "Louie's afraid of me."

"I'm not," Sharon confessed as she sat next to him.

Castillo huffed. "One of the largest human trafficking cartels in South America is bringing in a number of future sex slaves- mostly children, into the port of Miami tonight. We've been watching them for a long time, and our intel is high. It's going to happen tonight, and I need to be there when we get them."

"Say no more. Go," Sharon urged.

Castillo rose to leave, but instead turned and kneeled before her. He took Sharon's hands in his. "This is not how I wanted to ask you, but tomorrow night is the conference's last official event. A formal dinner to celebrate a number of officers from around the country." Castillo swallowed with noticeable modesty. "I'm one of them, and I'd be honored if you'd be my date."

Before Sharon could answer, Castillo continued, "Rusty and the others are invited as well, of course. I have a whole table reserved, but–"

"Yes," Sharon interrupted the man, then pressed her lips against his. Castillo responded with equaled emotion, deepening the kiss before breaking away and burying his face in her red mane. "Be safe," Sharon said as she pushed him half-heartedly away, "Come back alive."

"I will," Castillo promised before kissing her quickly once more and taking his leave.

"Good hunting," Sharon bid him softly before returning to the fray inside.

Rusty and Kat were already doing the dishes, while Lee had disappeared to his home office.

Kara was waiting for Sharon, while holding a fussy Kacey-Ann. The baby had slept soundly in her bassinet during dinner, but was undoubtedly awakened by the tensions in the air, as well as a hungry tummy.

"I have to feed her," Kara confirmed to Sharon. "Will you help me?"

The young woman's gently voiced plea cut deeply into Sharon's already aching heart. Naturally she agreed, and followed Castillo's daughter into the baby's room.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	18. Chapter 18: Mama Bear

_**A/N: Here's a nice big dose of warm goo, as Sharon meets her match in Kara...**_

CHAPTER 18

The nursery was a modestly sized room, decorated in a clean and modern style similar to the rest of the home, but with a decidedly sweet bent. A continuous mural spanning three walls featured hand painted clouds in a cerulean sky, populated by airplanes piloted by teddy bears and bunnies. Soft pastel rainbows connected a hand-full of smaller clouds to one larger one, where a grey hedgehog wearing glasses read a book to a litter of puppies. The fourth wall of the room was a bank of large-pane windows with off-white privacy blinds.

Sharon smiled at the sight of the mural, putting together the significance of the scene.

"You painted all of this."

"Yep."

"It's adorable, Kara. Completely different from your other work, which I've found to be wonderful, by the way. You are a very talented artist."

The younger woman blushed as she retrieved another baby blanket from a stack on a whitewashed antique dresser. "Thanks. You should see what I used to do with spray paint," she said with a wink.

"I can imagine," Sharon replied with a wry smile.

"But it was really fun to do, and kept me occupied during the last week of my pregnancy," Kara offered as she looked down at the hungry newborn in her arms.

"How can I help," Sharon asked warmly.

Kara audibly exhaled. "I think I've got this, but I just wanna make sure. I mean, you're a mom. You've done this before."

"I have," Sharon confirmed gently. "A few times."

"That's what the Old Man said."

The mere mention of Martin Castillo made Sharon hum. Without prompting, she took the baby in her arms while Kara seated herself in a rocking chair in one corner of the room, and proceeded to undo a fastening of her overalls.

"My mom's not alive anymore, not that we were close," Kara explained as she rolled up her tank top and undid her maternity bra.

"Say no more," Sharon told the younger woman. To Kacey-Anne, she whispered, "Go easy on your mommy, little one. She's doing her very best for you."

Seeing that the new mother was ready, Sharon knelt and laid the baby in Kara's arms and carefully watched as the new mother guided Kacey to her swollen nipple.

"She did it," Kara exclaimed in a loud whisper as the baby finally latched on after a few failed attempts, and began to suckle noisily.

"Yes she did," Sharon warmly confirmed. "And so did you."

Again, Kara sighed. "Thanks!"

Sharon couldn't resist caressing the baby's bald head, then asked Kara, "Has your milk come in?"

"Not yet," she replied with a frown. "Just the crappy colostrum so far. I tasted it in the hospital, and figured she must really be hungry if she wants to take what I've got for her now."

"You'll start producing soon, and she'll like that even more."

"Hope so."

"You're doing wonderfully, Kara."

A small tear ran down the blonde's cheek. "I just want to be a good mom. And Lee wants so badly to be a good dad. I know he does– and he is."

"Yes he is," Sharon confirmed with a nod.

"He wasn't close with his parents, either," Kara said of her husband. "Lee's dad is an admiral, and his mom is heavily involved in charity and society work. As a kid, Lee was literally shipped off to the military academy, so he could follow in his father's footsteps. He never really got to do the regular kid things with either of his folks, so he's pretty determined to be there for Kace."

"Lee and Martin don't get along."

Kara huffed at Sharon's observation. "You noticed, huh?"

"Just a little bit," Sharon replied thoughtfully.

Kara chewed on her lower lip as she stroked her daughter's tiny fist. "You and the Old Man seem to get along though, and quite nicely, I might add," she noted while deftly changing the subject. "What? You didn't think you were off the hook with me, did you?"

Sharon blushed wordlessly.

"So I'm guessing that you two were a thing, back in the day. Am I right?"

"Yes."

The younger woman cracked a wide, self-satisfied grin. "That is so frakkin' awesome!" As Sharon slowly died from embarrassment, Kara continued in a much more serious tone, "So are you knocking boots, again?"

"Kara!"

"Just wondering."

Sharon rose and began studying the nursery mural again. One little airplane was a two-seater and featured both the Stars & Stripes as well as the Union Jack on its tail. A boy teddy bear served as the pilot, and a girl teddy bear with a blond ponytail, took the role as the tail gunner operating a streaming soap-bubble gun. A lone bear sat on a cloud, making and tossing paper airplanes.

Lee, Kara, and Zak– together.

"This is _just_ adorable," Sharon repeated her earlier statement.

"Thank you, _again_ ," Kara replied. "Look, Sharon, I like you. There aren't a lot of people that I like, but you I do– and I just want you to know that if you and The Old Man get to be a thing again, you have my total blessing."

"Thank you," Sharon turned and replied with a deep swallow.

"But with one condition," Kara declared.

Sharon faced the young woman. Seated and nursing her newborn, Kara should have been in a very vulnerable position, but she was not. In fact, she held the upper hand on her, and cut right to the point of the matter.

"Hurt him, and I will hurt you."

"Kara–"

"I wasn't around in the early days, but I know the guy's been through hell and back. He's lost people– friends and loved ones, some even by his own hands. Stuff like that gives you scars, believe me I know. So with that said, I've always wondered what it was that caused Martin Castillo to learn to live again. To love and laugh again. Maybe even for the first time, ever. At least enough to be able to see a couple of street kids for something more than what they were– dirty, hungry, and scared out of their minds, and bring them home with him and give them both the very best of himself. He saved us– Zak and me, because you saved him. I see that now."

Sharon hugged herself. "I don't know what to say."

"I do," Kara countered, "Thank you."

"Y-you're welcome, but–"

"It's true, Sharon. You gave that to him. It sure as hell wasn't his ex, May-Yi. I've never met the woman, and by all reports she's a total peach, but she'll never get my vote. The Old Man doesn't need some sweet little flower. He needs a Tigress. He needs an equal, someone that challenges him with fire, and then soothes him with a warm heart. I saw tonight how you guys are together, the little back-and-forth you have... like when you over-ruled him on me having a small bit of champagne... and how he said it was wrong of your team to make deals with criminals... So I think he does all of that for you as well. Am I right?"

"Yes, he does." _And more._

"Good."

"Kara, I will never intentionally hurt Martin. There is something he and I share that we need to deal with, plus I am technically still married. So, there are many rivers to be crossed–"

"Do you love him? Cuz' I think he loves you."

Without answering her, Sharon took a chance and motherly kissed the top of Kara's head while stroking one of Kacey-Anne's tiny feet. There was something about Kara that tugged at Sharon's heart, and made her feel very maternal towards her. "Goodnight, girls," she whispered to the younger woman and her child before exiting the room.

There were tears in Sharon's eyes as she quietly closed the nursery door behind her.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	19. Chapter 19: Dashboard Confessional

_**A/N: My continued thanks to everyone that is reading and enjoying this! Your reviews are incredibly awesome!**_

CHAPTER 19

The ride back to the hotel was maddeningly slow. A minor fender bender due to unexpected rain jammed things up on the major highway, and the mood inside Lee Adams' white Jeep Liberty was decidedly taut.

"I want to apologize for my attitude at dinner tonight," announced the Brit. His grip on the steering wheel was tight and his knuckles showed noticeably in the darkened cabin of the vehicle. "Martin oftentimes brings out the worst in me."

"Clearly you are not Irish, Mr. Adams," Sharon noted with gentle irony. "Such a display would not have raised an eyebrow with my father's side of the family. "The O'Dwyers never shy away from speaking their mind."

"Martin is quite known for his grand gestures. I know he means well, however, the end results don't always meet expectations."

"Like tonight?"

"And other times," Lee replied through gritted teeth.

Sharon glanced at the rear view mirror and saw that Rusty was sound asleep in the backseat. His mouth was agape and his phone was clutched tightly in his right hand.

"He has a job with much responsibility," she said in defense of Castillo. "Believe me, I know."

"Yes, I'm sure that you do, Captain Raydor," Lee replied respectfully. "And with that said, I must say that the two worlds cannot coexist."

"They cannot?"

"No."

Sharon bit the inside of her cheek as Lee turned onto the main artery leading to the row of Miami's beachfront hotels. They ran into more traffic there, but if Sharon squinted she could make out her lodging's well-lit facade well off in the distance.

"It's one thing to let Kara down, I suppose. I mean, she's grown up with that, and seems fine with it. She's a cop herself. But that was her choice. Kacey doesn't have that option."

Sharon replayed in her mind the words shared between the two men before Castillo abruptly left. She couldn't help but notice a certain repetitive theme in their family dynamic.

"When you called Marty a hypocrite, he said it took one to know one," Sharon reminded Lee. "Is he right?"

The young man's silence spoke volumes.

"You missed your daughter's birth."

Lee sighed, having heard the charge many times before. "I thought I had time, but she came early."

"Babies have their own timetables."

"The deal was huge for my company," Lee explained. "I was trying to provide for her. For Kara. For our family, and our future."

Sharon let his words hang in the air as they edged closer to their destination.

"Captain Raydor," Lee addressed her respectfully. "I–"

"Kara told me that you and your father are not especially close."

"This is not about my father."

"It isn't?"

"No," Lee replied quickly. "And if you are assimilating the two, then you are wrong in doing so. Martin Castillo is _not_ my father."

Sharon hummed audibly as the rain beat down upon the vehicle. "No, but he _is_ Kara's. Like it or not, Lee, he's a very big part of her life, and he will be the same for Kacey, as well. You need to accept him. Accept all that Marty is, and all that he has to give."

"Spoken by a woman with some experience in that department, eh?"

Sharon met Lee's blue-eyed gaze, and saw the irony in her own words thrown back at her. She smiled at him knowingly, and he smiled back at her with equal tenderness.

"Am I that obvious?"

"Only just so much."

Sharon let out a nervous giggle as they pulled up to the hotel's port-e-cohere, and the valet opened the doors on the passenger sides of the SUV for her and Rusty. She exited the vehicle and proceeded to wake up her sleeping son.

"Goodnight, Captain Raydor," Lee said from across the cabin of his Jeep. "It was a pleasure meeting you and your son, and having the both of you to my home for dinner. I see why Martin is so taken with you both."

"Thank you, Captain Apollo," Sharon replied with a quirked smile, as Rusty groggily mumbled his own thanks to his host and driver. "I think that has a nice ring to it, don't you?"

Lee blushed at her use of his call-sign combined with his military rank. "Yes, Ma'am, it does."

The woman smiled again, then replied warmly, "Goodnight, Lee."

# # #

A few hours later, Sharon was awoken from half-sleep by her nearby phone. The caller ID read UNKNOWN, but she knew who it was before even hit ACCEPT on the lighted screen.

"Hey."

"Hey."

The repeated greeting, in the familiar husked tone, sent a shiver of pleasure through her body, followed by a wave of complete and utter relief.

"Forty-five girls, safe. Twice that amount of traffickers, arrested."

And Martin Castillo was alive.

Sharon thanked God for that.

"What happens now," she asked needlessly. In the background she heard the shuffling of papers, no doubt a mountain of them were piled on Castillo's desk. Sharon imagined he looked tired, but happy– an expression new to his face, but one she very much enjoyed seeing on him.

"The bastards get prosecuted– first by us, then the Feds, and hopefully those young women, babies really, can find a new and better life. We've got agencies already lined up to do just that, but you never know..."

"They will with the grace of God," Sharon told him.

"So say we all." Castillo exhaled into the phone receiver, then said, "Look, I apologize for leaving the way I did tonight. Did one of the kids drive you and Rusty back to the hotel?"

"Apologizes are not needed, Marty," Sharon told him. "And yes, Kara had Lee drive us home. Your son-in-law is really quite sweet, you know."

"Sweet? Yes, I suppose he is that."

"And so are you."

Castillo grunted audibly.

Sharon hummed, and clutched her phone tightly as she snuggled into the hotel bed's sumptuous pillow-top. "Are you still going to be able to make it to tomorrow night's event dinner?"

In his office, Castillo neatly stacked some papers on his desk, and then leaned back in his chair. "A man's gotta eat," he drawled. "Plus I've got a pretty hot date, so I can't disappoint her."

"Good, because I'm looking forward to seeing you on stage again, this time with someone pinning a frakking medal on your chest."

"Don't remind me."

Sharon closed her eyes and imagined the man squirming in his seat.

"So, I have to ask," she began. "How did you plan on asking me to be your date?"

"With you naked and in my arms," Castillo replied a beat later.

Sharon arched a brow. "That's how you saw the evening going tonight?"

"Well, yeah."

"You're awfully sure of yourself, Captain."

"You looked incredibly beautiful in that red dress," Castillo declared honestly. "Even more so, while holding my granddaughter. I made the Pad-Thai for Kara, but I made the dessert for you. So I was hoping..."

On the other end of the connection, Sharon recalled the sweet freshness of the mango and strawberries on her tongue, married with the silkiness of the vanilla cream. The melded flavors rivaled that of the chef's deliciously sensuous kisses.

A coil of pleasure seated itself deep inside her.

"Goodnight, Marty."

"Goodnight, Sharon."

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	20. Chapter 20: Dream Lover

**_A/N: Though we're not quite there yet, this fic is building to what I hope is gonna be a satisfying finish- and tease to a planned sequel. On the horizon is some MUCH needed Sexy-Time between Sharon Raydor & Martin Castillo... Rusty getting to visit a Floridian attraction that he's wanted to see since their Check-In Day, which will end up triggering an even greater needed heart-to-heart between his mom and his newfound hero... more cameos by BSG & Miami Vice players... and someone named Lt. Andy Flynn, will be showing up a couple times before we call it a wrap!_**

 ** _But first, let's take a fluffy detour with Sharon & Martin... the title of the chapter comes from my favorite Mariah Carey song of the same name. _**

**_As always, I thank you for enjoying the ride, and for your tremendous reviews and support!_**

CHAPTER 20

Captain Sharon Raydor never considered herself a fanciful person, or the stuff of a Rom-Com heroine. Quirky. Silly. Wistful. A dreamer, looking for her Prince amid a swamp full of toads.

But that didn't mean she didn't have the occasional Meg Ryan-worthy dream, or two...

In her dream, Sharon awoke to the familiar brush of stiff whiskers to the sensitive skin of her exposed neck.

When she made it known that she was awake, he turned her to face him and kissed each of her closed eyelids before moving to softly brush her lips with his own.

Her bottle green eyes opened, and met his nearly black orbs.

"Good morning, Mr. Castillo."

"Yes it is, Mrs. Castillo."

The room was bathed in golden sunshine, and the air was balmy-warm as a summer breeze wafted in through the open windows. Birds even twittered in Disney-like fashion in the trees outside.

They were at Sharon's family cabin in the mountains. The antique sleigh bed in the master bedroom was big enough to sleep two comfortably, and her husband looked perfectly delicious as he laid propped up on one elbow next to her.

Sharon ruffled Martin's thick hair. In her dream, they were both slightly older than they'd been when they'd first met. Her hair was at it's trademark long waves, while his was just beginning to show strands of gleaming silver.

He captured her hand with one of his own, and kissed it tenderly before working a trail up her arm to her shoulder and neck.

"Apparently someone knows what day it is," Sharon purred as Martin nosed his way through her hair and began to suckle her earlobe.

"Uh huh," he grunted as his hands wandered beneath one of his old dress shirts that Sharon had taken to wearing for sleep.

Sharon moved a hand between them, and trailed a path down his muscled chest to his abdomen. Martin's tummy was beginning to paunch with middle-age, but he wore it well, and he took her occasional teasing of it easily. Sharon circled his navel, and savored the thin line of dark hair that ran from it to below the drawstring of his black pajama bottoms.

"Refresh my memory," she purred. "I can't seem to remember the occasion. It's been so long."

Martin pulled back and bestowed a toothy grin upon her.

"It's been exactly forty two days, two hours, ten minutes, and umpteen seconds to the moment you made me an obscenely happy man."

Sharon's smile reached her eyes, as she captured Martin's face in her hands and kissed him.

"Ah, yes. That was quite a day."

"It was.

"You were so nervous," Sharon recalled.

"You were so beautiful," Martin declared.

Sharon snorted as he unbuttoned her shirt and started to suckle her left breast. "I was exhausted!"

Her husband chuckled, and the source of Sharon's recalled exhaustion began to softly whimper from the nearby Moses basket.

The sound of their newborn's need, triggered the release of Sharon's milk supply, as well as a wonderful sensation in the lower part of her body.

Martin continued to suckle, and seemed to quite enjoy the warm, sweet fluid in his mouth.

"Honey," Sharon murmured firmly as she interrupted his bliss. "Our daughter needs to feed more than you."

"The baby will be fine a little longer," Martin told her. "Her papi needs to have sex with her fully healed mami. Right. Now. I can't wait anymore."

Sharon pushed him away as their child began to fully test her lungs. "Yes, you can."

Martin looked up at Sharon with pained eyes as his daughter's cries filled his ears. He sighed in agreement, "Yes, I can."

His wife giggled as he backed off and went to retrieve the baby before she woke the rest of the cabin, or the mountain, for that matter.

In her dream, Sharon's heart swelled as Martin cradled their daughter in his arms. She had his olive coloring and a shock of black hair with natural red highlights. So far her eyes were still baby-blue, and with genetics a wonderful mystery, the big guess was if they'd change to green or brown.

"We're lucky, her diaper's not dirty," Martin noted in English, before speaking to his child in a mash-up of Spanish, Vietnamese, and even a little bit of Hungarian.

"Small miracles," agreed Sharon as her husband carefully placed the baby her waiting arms, after which the child latched on almost immediately to her milk-filled breast.

Both parents stared in awed wonder as their daughter fed noisily.

Then, quite suddenly the peaceful scene was broken by a knock at the bedroom door...

Startled, Sharon and Martin braced themselves and then gave their permission to enter.

Chaos swept in.

A young Kara, in her early teens, followed by Ricky and Emily who were a few years younger, and even a grade-school aged Rusty, filled the room with the brand of love and excitement that only kids can bring.

"Oh my Gods," Sharon gasped as she took in the group, who carried bunches of wild flowers and lap tables heavy with steaming plates of French Toast, mugs of freshly brewed coffee and decaf herbal tea, and halves of yellow-ripe papaya with juicy wedges of lime. "What's all this for?"

"And how did you know we were awake?" Martin wanted to know.

Kara rolled her eyes. "We wanted to celebrate the little nugget's six-week birthday, and we heard her crying. The girl's really got some lungs on her. But I guess she's okay now."

All three kids took in the scene of their parents and their youngest sibling in the bed. They were all quite used to seeing Sharon breast feeding, but it was Rusty that couldn't help but ask, "Why does the baby suck on Mom's boob when she eats?"

Ricky and Emily got the giggles, and Kara smirked broadly before explaining, "Cuz' that's what boobs are for! Right, Old Man?"

Martin wanted to airlock his oldest daughter, but smiled instead. "Yes, Kara, that's right."

Sharon rolled her lips to keep from laughing. "This is very sweet of all you guys," she said as the baby who had a full tummy, disengaged from her nipple. "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you," agreed Martin. He took in the lineup of their kids in the room, and noticed that one was missing. "Where's Zak?"

Kara busied herself by taking the baby from Sharon, and directing Ricky and Emily to place the lap tables with the breakfasts across the parents' laps. "Ummm, about that..."

"We kinda had an accident in the kitchen," Ricky explained.

Sharon raised a brow. "I don't smell smoke."

"Oh nothing burned, Mommy," Emily told her. "Rusty was just putting away the syrup in the pantry when he dropped it and the neck of the plastic bottle hit just right and broke. Syrup glugged out, everywhere!"

"And then Jake got into it, and tracked syrup all over the cabin!"

Sharon paled at Ricky's addition. "Jake?"

"The new puppy," Rusty cheered.

"Yeah," Kara confirmed with cheerful sass, as she gently bounced her baby sister in her arms, "A Border Collie."

"Frakking hell!"

Sharon placed a hand on her husband's arm. "Now, Honey," she murmured softly to Martin, and to the kids she asked in trademark calm. "Where did Jake came from?"

"Miss D'Anna, down the road," Ricky explained. "Her dog had a litter a few weeks ago, and she said we could have one today. Isn't that cool?"

"Very," Sharon agreed with her son.

Before Martin could swear again, a younger male voice could be heard shouting in a mix of Spanish and English, in the main part of the house. "JAKE, NO! NOT ON SHARON'S FAVORITE RUG!"

"Go get him, Zak," Martin cheered their eldest son under his breath.

Kara nervously cleared her throat. "Don't worry– we've got this under control," she promised the parents. "So, um, enjoy your breakfasts. I mean, _really_ enjoy your breakfasts... take your time... and, uh, maybe even do _something_ else in here... if you get my _point_... just don't come out too soon!"

Sharon and Martin watched with reddened faces as their children trooped out of the room and closed the door firmly behind themselves.

"What happened to my life," Martin asked as Sharon sipped her tea. "I used to be a badass. I knew Southeast Asia like the back of my hand, faced every type of Earth's worst scum, and could kill twenty men in six minutes. Now I'm a House-Husband, with a half-dozen kids and a puppy!"

"A Border Collie Puppy- the smartest, and most amazingly energetic breed known to Humankind," Sharon wryly corrected him. "Don't worry, Marty. You are still a badass. You could handle something like this while in a coma."

Martin sighed into his mug of coffee. "Really?"

Sharon hummed as she kissed his weathered cheek. "Really," she confirmed, "I have it on good authority that you scare the shit out of the PTA, and you are the only person on the planet that can make me come three times- just by saying my name."

Bolstered, Martin began aggressively cutting into his French Toast. When he reached for the small ramekin of maple syrup on his table, Sharon stopped him.

"Apparently this stuff is in short supply in the house, so we need to conserve every drop we have," Sharon told him. When Martin raised his brows in question, she further explained, "There are _far_ better uses for it, other than for breakfast."

"Careful, Mrs. Castillo," Martin husked in warning. "We could end up with another kid."

Sharon dipped a manicured finger in her own ramekin of syrup, then painted the sweetness on her husband's lips before kissing him and licking it off her own.

"Actually, Mr. Castillo," Sharon purred, "I was thinking that with one more our family could field a baseball team."

Spoken by the _true_ Badass in the room.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	21. Chapter 21: Hey, Good-Lookin!

_**A/N: Please insert Bryan Adams' song "I Wanna Be Your Underwear" into your head, as you read this chapter... many thanks, as always to everyone!**_

CHAPTER 21

She'd taken the entire day for herself.

No meetings. No conference lectures. No nothing.

Just Sharon Raydor.

It felt damn good.

After an uninterrupted night's sleep, Sharon rose early to greet the sunrise from her room's balcony, and soon after, took a morning swim in the ocean and then joined in on a beach side yoga class.

While eating a light breakfast at the hotel's pool bar, Sharon received a text from Rusty saying he'd met up with Kat for a bit of volunteering at one of Castillo's house projects.

The thought of Martin Castillo made her smile.

She imagined his hands on her body as she got a massage at the hotel's spa.

Not to mention his reaction to seeing her in the new dress she'd purchased at one of the local boutiques on Ocean Drive.

Sharon had seen the sexy slip of ombre silk in shades of teal and midnight blue, earlier in the week, but had passed on buying it until finally deciding to do so on a whim after her massage.

If fit her perfectly, emphasized her gorgeous legs, and was just right for the night's dinner and awards ceremony.

A matching wrap scarf for her arms, to guard against the coolness of the convention center's frigid a/c, completed the look of the stunning dress.

Sharon was debating whether to wear her hair up or down for the event, when Rusty knocked on the door separating their rooms.

"Come in, Honey. I'm totally decent," she called as she exited her room's bathroom. Small diamond studded hoop earrings glittered at her lobes, and competed with the look of happiness she wore on her face.

Rusty whistled as he entered. "Mom, you look amazing!"

Sharon offered a quick curtsy, then admired her youngest son's own fashion choices. Dressed in a proper black suit, and a brightly colored dress shirt with a contrasting tie, he looked more than all grown up.

The sight made the mother smile, and she couldn't help but snap a picture of him with he phone's camera.

"Thank you, Sir. You look mighty nice yourself."

Rusty blushed. He carried a small package in a brown paper bag. "Thanks. Amy went shopping with me before we left L.A. She's got a good eye," he said with a swallow.

Sharon noted her son's unease and grew a bit worried herself. "Did you get us a ride-share," she asked, hoping to distract them both.

He shifted himself from one leg to the other. "Yeah. Our driver should be here soon." Nervously he withdrew a small package in a brown paper bag from his pants pocket, and handed it to Sharon. "This is for you," he said of the object that was marked with the logo of a nearby drug store.

Sharon smiled cautiously before taking the package and opening it.

Inside were two boxes of Trojans.

"Rusty–"

"I wasn't sure what size to get," the young man explained quickly to his very pale mother. "Marty's an old guy, but he looks like he'd be big. His hands are huge, so I bought Large and Extra-Large."

Sharon closed the bag quickly and set it on the dresser as carefully as if it were a live grenade.

"You bought me condoms," she stated needlessly.

"Well, yeah," Rusty replied with rolled eyes, "I mean, the captain's a really great guy, but you never can be too safe. And I want you safe, Mom."

Sharon fought back tears, and hugged her son. "Don't ever change," she whispered in his ear.

"Okay."

Rusty pushed back just enough to admire his beautiful mom. Martin Castillo would be a lucky to have her for a wife, or at least as a girlfriend, and Rusty found himself praying that things worked out for the best between the two captains. He'd never had two loving parents before, and in his mind, Sharon and Martin were just about as perfect as perfect got.

# # #

Minutes later, the mother and son stepped off the elevator, into the hotel lobby, and made their way to the port-cochere to pick up their ride to the convention center. Sharon had chosen to wear her hair down, and Rusty saw that she was wearing her sexiest pair of heels from her extensive closet of shoes from back home.

He was in immense awe of her strength and beauty, and felt very proud to be at her side.

"Provenza texted that he and Amy are running a little late, so they're getting their own ride to the convention center," Rusty explained. "Apparently the humidity is wreaking havoc with the glue on Amy's false eyelashes, and Provenza is actually trying to help her stick them on."

"Really?" Sharon nearly choked at the image.

"Really."

"Louie's a changed man since Patrice came into his life," Sharon said warmly of her lieutenant and his lady, "God bless her." To Rusty she asked, "So what kind of vehicle are we looking for?"

"Um, that one," Rusty replied with a pointed finger.

A shining black BMW Alpina B6 waited at the curb, along with its driver.

Standing in almost military attention, with his hands clasped together in front of him, Martin Castillo awaited them both. He was clad in the full dress uniform of the Miami-Dade PD, and looked unbelievably dashing. Every piece of Martin's clothing was perfectly pressed, and his silver and black hair shone in the late-afternoon light, begging to be played with. The expression he wore behind his glasses was almost a glare, but when he saw Rusty, and especially Sharon, his mask cracked and a subtle smile swiftly betrayed him.

Rusty quietly saluted the man and made his way to the back seat of the car.

Sharon stopped with an audible hum. "Captain."

Castillo's smile spread to his eyes. "Madam Captain."

"You look spiffy."

"Thank you. You look..." Castillo took in the sight of Sharon standing before him, and once again his words were lost when it came to her.

Sharon admired the very handsome man before her, and couldn't help but think of the boxes of condoms that waited upstairs in her room.

"We should go," she said quickly.

"Yes," he replied in hoarse agreement.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	22. Chapter 22: The Dance

_**A/N: So here we are at Sharon & Castillo's big date... enjoy!**_

CHAPTER 22

If she'd been asked later what she'd eaten that night at the dinner, Sharon Raydor, who under normal circumstances had a great memory and attention to detail, would not have recalled whether she'd had the beef or the chicken or even the vegan plate. Of course, convention event food was rarely memorable, except for usually being cold or tasteless, but in this case it was more of an overload of stimuli due to outside influences.

Sharon watched over the rim of her wineglass, as the scene at their table played out.

It had been a lovely evening so far.

Martin Castillo had invited his two lieutenants from Vice, Gina Calabrese and Trudy Joplin, to join in the festivities. Provenza was seated between the women, and both were keeping him on his toes. Gina and Trudy had been with the unit for years, and had worked with Amy Sykes' uncle. Amy remembered them both from her childhood, and regaled Sharon and Rusty with memories of their inspiring toughness and grace.

"A few of the old guys around the station call us _Cagney & Lacey_," Gina commented with rolled eyes.

"Not that _we're_ old ourselves, mind you," Trudy added.

"Who're Cagney & Lacey?" Rusty asked with youthful innocence.

Provenza grumbled, "Ye, God."

"The unit is lucky to have them both," Castillo said of his lieutenants. "I personally held my breath a several years back when Gina got an offer from NYPD, and then Trudy got married to a restaurateur based out of Jamaica. But both stayed, and here we are."

"And here's to that," Sharon saluted the women with her raised glass. Sykes joined in, along with the men, and eventually the entire table toasted in celebration.

Throughout the evening, various awards and honors were given out to notable police officers from around the country.

Memorials to fallen brothers and sisters in blue were made, and a moment of silence was given in continued memory of the first responders to the attacks on 9/11.

The final honor of the night was reserved for Miami-Dade's own. Captain Martin Castillo.

All eyes went to the podium where a young uniformed man stood in stiff attention.

Major Leland Joseph Adams, retired pilot and captain from the British Royal Navy.

Lee took a breath before speaking, and Sharon watched as Castillo looked on at his son-in-law with quiet but noticeable pride.

"I was not originally chosen to give this presentation," Lee began. "My wife had that duty, until a baby girl that weighs a half-stone, completely turned our lives upside down and then right-side up again.

If Kara were here, you would be treated to a speech loaded with foul language, questionable stories, and an incredible warmth and love for the man that is Martin Castillo. Since I've only known him for a relatively short while, I regret that I cannot do the same. But, I shall do my best to embarrass him fully."

Sharon couldn't help but notice her former lover's face turn a very becoming shade of pink. Seated next to him, she touched his arm lightly and hummed.

Castillo covered her hand with his own and hummed in reply, as Lee continued on stage.

"As many of you might know, Martin Castillo hates the spotlight," the Brit went on. "But that doesn't mean he avoids opportunity. Case in point, these incriminating pictures."

At the back of the stage, a large wall-size screen flashed a Power-Point presentation of several photos of the honoree over the years.

Castillo during his time in the DEA during the '70s, clean-shaven, and with a long black ponytail while in Saigon...

Then in Miami during the '80's, the man going undercover as a drug-lord, and then as a prison inmate transfer...

There were even a few of him at charity fund raiser events during that time.

Sharon had to swallow her giggles as images scrolled of a younger, skinnier version of the man at her side, dressed in bike shorts at a rally for child abuse, and then in a then-sexy men's Speedo bikini at a swim meet for diabetes.

Lee Adama continued, "But this is the man I know. The man that I have come to know, and love."

He turned to look with the audience, as more recent pictures of Martin Castillo filled the screen.

The older, wiser man working hard at his desk, pouring over case files...

Holding his newborn granddaughter in the delivery-room...

Pounding nails at a job site...

And leading his team on the recent raid on the human-traffickers...

There was even a cell phone shot of Martin Castillo standing close with a certain redhead from Los Angeles.

Sharon felt her own face grow warm upon seeing that.

"So it is with great respect that I ask Captain Martin Edwardo Castillo to join me on stage, so that we may properly thank him for his service of 45 years of service in law enforcement."

"You can do this," Sharon leaned over and whispered in Castillo's ear. "Come on, Marty."

The man grunted, then ghosted a kiss to her cheek before rising from his seat and made his way to the stage.

Sharon watched with pride as Castillo and his son-in-law embraced in a genuine hug. After a beat, the two men separated, and the younger of the pair produced a small velvet box from his pants pocket.

"This, Captain, is for 45 years of integrity, service, and leadership. Congratulations, Martin, you've earned this," Lee said as he pinned a shining bit of gold to Martin's already well-decorated jacket.

The men hugged again, then Lee excused himself from the stage and took the vacant seat at the Castillo's table, next to Sharon.

"Well done, Apollo," Sharon whispered in Lee's ear as the room applauded the man on stage.

"Thank you, Madam," Lee whispered back. "I took your words to heart."

"Good," Sharon replied with a nod.

She watched and listened intently as Martin Castillo made his remarks. He was much more at home on the stage than he'd been two decades before, and Sharon couldn't help but feel her emotional pull to him deepen. So much had happened over the years between them individually. They'd both grown, personally as well as professionally. Sharon admired the man that Martin had become, greatly, and it went without saying that he filled her thoughts and heart, like no other.

"Nice 'bling', Old Man," Provenza congratulated Castillo on his medal once the Vice-cop returned to the table. "Believe me, I know– forty-five years is a long time to be on the job."

Castilllo nodded his thanks, then noted, "And I can still dance."

Sharon noted Castillo's sly reference to their past, along with his outstretched hand as the hired Latin Jazz band began playing on stage. She gave him her own hand, and somehow they made it to the nearby dance floor.

They moved together, perfectly in time to the music.

Sharon's dress was made for dancing, and Castillo continued to appreciate her in it.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, while he held her about the waist as chastely as possible. Both could feel the heat between them building to an almost unsustainable level.

"I've decided something."

"You have?"

"Mmmhmmm," Sharon hummed against him and tried to remember if he had felt quite as good as he did, twenty years before.

Or smelled as good...

Or looked as good...

Castillo huffed. "What, Sharon? What have you decided?"

"I want you inside me."

"When?"

Sharon pushed away slightly and met his serious gaze. "As soon as possible."

A subtle smile quirked at one corner of Castillo's mouth, and he sighed contentedly. While continuing to hold her in careful tenderness, his eyes scanned the crowded room as though both their lives depended on immediate action.

"The majority of the ballroom walls are temporary in structure, but that pillar over there looks load-bearing. We can make use of that."

Sharon bit the inside of her cheek and waited a beat before saying, "Our first time was at the beach, when we were much younger, and far more limber than were are today. I want you, Marty, but I also want a bed and pillows, and 1000 thread-count sheets. Besides, we're in a room filled with cops, not to mention our loved ones. We'd be arrested for public indecency in a matter of seconds."

Castillo's chest rumbled mirthfully. "Whatever you say, Madam Captain. My house is too far from the city proper, so we'll have to settle with going to back your hotel to make like the elderly bunnies we are."

Sharon rolled her eyes and kissed him quickly on the lips. "Elderly, my ass," she declared while dragging him off the dance floor.

They bid discreet good-nights to their loved ones at the table, and Sharon made it a special point to kiss her son and tell him that she'd see him in the morning. Rusty raised his dark brows in amusement, and tried to keep a composed face when he shook Castillo's hand.

Had the couple not been so lost in each other as they took their leave, they would have seen a good amount of money being exchanged among the remaining group at the table, with Rusty and Lee coming both out on top.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	23. Chapter 23: The Act

_**A/N: For those who are interested, there's a great video on YouTube of Sharon's man in his younger days, that inspired the mention of him in a Speedo back in the 1980's, in chapter 22... The video, titled**_ **Mix -The Blues Project-Catch The Wind (Miami Vice video by Steven Mighty)** _ **is taken from the teaser-scene from the Miami Vice episode "Golden Triangle 2" and shows a smokin' hot Castillo, at the beach and swimming in the ocean! Talk about an OMG moment... Also seen in the video is Castillo's ex-wife, May-Yi**_ ** _._**

 _ **And now, FINALLY, here is the rest of Sharon & Castillo's big night...**_

CHAPTER 23

"That is not your car." Sharon purred as she and Castillo waited at the bank of elevators of her hotel. "Not on a cop's salary."

His jaw tensed. "You're right." Castillo admitted in speaking of the BMW he'd piloted that night.

"Our department has a garage full of luxury-grade cars for various undercover operations. Back in the '80s, two of my detectives drove Ferrari and high end Mercedes as their duty vehicles. Now they drive Cadillac Escalades, Lexus, and a few other top makes and models. Now and then, I've taken a horse out of the barn myself. Case in point tonight, as I couldn't exactly drive my girl to the big dance in a grubby construction truck."

One of the elevators arrived and its doors opened with a cheerful ding.

"Your truck is hardly grubby." Sharon told Castillo as she pushed him into the vacant elevator and predatorily joined him.

He sized her up and grinned. "No, it's not. But my thoughts _are_."

"So are mine."

Sharon backed Castillo against a wall of the elevator and touched the control buttons for the door closure and her floor number. She then dragged his mouth down to hers and kissed him deeply.

He swallowed her hum that had invaded his throat, and grunted with his own pleasure.

"Tell, me. Does _Andy_ make you feel this way?"

"No, only you."

"Good."

Sharon's hands came to rest at Castillo's belt buckle, and she throatily confessed, "I must say that I'm beginning to re-think my previous request for a bed."

"Really?" he asked while skimming a hand up one of her thighs.

"Uh-huh," she replied, while enjoying the feeling.

Their lips came together again in another searing kiss, and neither Sharon nor Castillo noticed when the elevator stopped at her floor and its doors opened with another cheerful ding.

"Look, Billy! That's gonna be us in fifty years!"

"Dee!"

"What? They're sooo cute!"

Both Sharon and Castillo jumped a mile as they parted, only to stare at an obviously newly-wedded couple that awaited the elevator car that they inhabited.

The husband & wife were total opposites, and utterly adorable. He was tall and lanky and very shy- not to mention horribly sunburned. She was petite and bubbly, with smooth gorgeous mocha-toned skin. Only their slight Canadian accents matched.

"Did you, um, just get married too?" Billy the groom, asked politely as he took in the sight of Sharon and Castillo in their very formal attire.

"No!" Sharon replied with quick embarrassment, as she stepped in front of the equally startled Castillo. Frowning inwardly, she could feel the slight deflation of his arousal as she pressed her backside against him. When Dee began to outwardly frown, Sharon allayed her disappointment by adding, "But it _is_ our anniversary!"

Sharon bit her cheek after that, then dragged her _husband_ out of the elevator, and bid the younger couple goodnight for both her and Castillo.

Somehow they made it down the hallway, and to her room.

"Our _anniversary_?" Castillo asked between her giggles.

"She was a sweet girl," Sharon explained to the man as she hastily jammed her key card into the reader. "They were both so young, I didn't want to crush either one's spirit, or hopes."

"Good call," Castillo grinned before kissing his _wife_.

Their tongues mated urgently, while their hands both reached for the door knob to the room.

Then with a flourish, Castillo swept Sharon up in his arms and proceeded to carry her over the threshold.

"Marty, my gods! You'll hurt your back!"

Castillo chuckled huskily as he kicked the door closed behind them. "Not likely, Raydor. If anything gives out, it'll be my knees." He bounced Sharon in his arms for effect, then set her down near the bed and kissed her sweetly.

Sharon returned his favor.

They both tore at the covers of the bed, while continuing to consume each other's tonsils.

Castillo dimmed the room's lights...

While Sharon kicked off her shoes...

He untied his, and followed suit...

Sharon worked at the many layers of his uniform...

And Castillo appreciated the fact that she didn't wear either a bra or a slip, beneath the silk of her dress...

When they both stood naked before each other, Sharon couldn't help but notice the thick red scar that ran down the center of his chest.

"You were s-shot," she surmised with a slight hitch in her voice. A smaller, second keloid jutted diagonally on the left side of his abdomen, near an older faded one she'd known previously.

Castillo kissed away her concern. "It's a long story, but I'm fine."

"Okay," Sharon replied quietly against his lips. She too, had her own scars, though they were not outwardly visible.

A nagging pang of guilty hurt, joined the desire inside her, and she hesitated a bit.

"Second thoughts?" he asked.

Sharon knew she should tell him about the child they'd conceived, and then lost, but she couldn't. Not then. She also knew that she was being incredibly selfish, but just couldn't break the moment between them.

Instead, she confessed something else that had needed to be said.

"I love you."

After a beat, he replied, "About time."

They embraced, as both their eyes grew moist.

Sharon was about to chastise Castillo for his rather flippant comeback, but felt his arousal twitch and she ended up giggling.

"I forgot to buy condoms," he told her sheepishly. "I know we didn't have them before, but I should've planned ahead in–"

"Rusty bought us some," she cut in, adding a quick kiss to his mouth before retrieving the Trojans from her hotel room dresser.

Castillo stared incredulously at the two boxes in Sharon's hands. "He's a good kid," he said of her son.

Sharon pushed her lover down on the bed, and joined him. "Yes he is," she said of Rusty. Sharon then eyed Castillo's urgent need, as she compared the packs of Large and Extra-Larges, before tossing one of the boxes over her shoulder, and tearing into the other.

Once Castillo was appropriately _dressed_ , and they were fully joined, it was as though no time had ever passed between them. Sharon's body knew his, and welcomed him fully.

He made love to her with thorough care and attention...

She cried at their completion...

And he did as well...

Afterward, they dozed happily in each other's arms. Sharon's head rested on his chest, and Castillo's legs were entwined with hers. Both carried their mingled scents.

Later, as the late-summer rain beat against the glass slider doors to the room's balcony, Sharon made note of the newest scars to mar Castillo's body.

"I could've lost you without even knowing."

"But you didn't. I'm right here, Sharon."

"I know, Marty. But still..."

She felt his arms tighten around her reassuringly, and it made her hum.

"I love you, Sharon. From the minute that I first saw you, it was like an awakening of a truth that had always been. I couldn't explain it at the time, but the feeling was undeniably there, as it is now."

"You felt that way even when you were bullying me from the seminar podium?"

"I wasn't–"

Sharon silenced Castillo with a kiss, while holding his face in her hands. "Yes you were. It was the classic case of the little boy on the playground being mean to the little girl he liked, and I have to admit that I jumped right in to it."

They both laughed at their early moments.

Sharon laid her head against Castillo's chest again, and heard the steady beat of his heart, synced in time with her own.

"You told me that you loved me, that night, didn't you?" she asked remembering a similar moment in time.

"Yes. I thought you were asleep," Castillo confessed while caressing the graceful curve of her spine, and kissing her shoulder.

"I nearly was," Sharon recalled with a hum. "I felt warm and safe, and then there were your words. I didn't know what they were exactly, but I understood the feeling behind them."

" _Anh yeu em_."

"Anh yeu em."

Castillo huffed at Sharon's attempt at Vietnamese.

"Your pronunciation is perfect," he told her. "But your sentence structure is off. It's a complicated language. When two people of the same age, but different sexes are speaking to each other, things get reversed."

" _Em yeu anh_."

"Perfect!"

Sharon smiled , quite pleased with herself. "I have a wonderful teacher."

"And you're a very excellent student," Castillo told her with all honesty.

They kissed again, as their playful tongues danced together. Sharon dug her fingers into the thickness of his hair, as Castillo moved on to suckle one of her yearning breasts.

She loved how he loved her.

"You wanna go again?" he asked against her flesh.

Sharon felt her body quicken at Castillo's questioning.

"Mmm Hmm..."

After reaching for another condom, and having fun with each other's teasing and playfully roaming hands, they made love once more.

And then finally, after what seemed like forever, Sharon and Castillo found the first completely peaceful sleep that they'd each had in years, while wrapped in the warmth of the other's arms and love.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	24. Chapter 24: The Morning After

_**A/N: Shandy fans will enjoy the last part of this chapter, as there is a little cameo from Lt. Flynn... enjoy!**_

CHAPTER 24

She woke to the sound of the ocean, and the aroma of Cuban coffee and miso soup.

Sharon stretched like a lazy, well-satisfied cat, and enjoyed the gentle ache in her body that came only from a night of very thorough frakking.

The bed was decidedly less occupied than it had been, an hour or so before, but the sheets and pillows still carried his scent.

As did the black undershirt that she'd stolen from him during a trip to the bathroom shortly before dawn... It wasn't the typical 3-to-a-pack t-shirt from a big box store, but a high-end label that was incredibly soft and begged to be worn all day long while curled upon a sofa while reading a good book.

Castillo had told Sharon to keep it, and said she looked far better in it than he did...

So she did, and felt like a high-school girl wearing her boyfriend's football jersey...

The thought made Sharon hum, as she rose from the bed and made her way to her room's balcony where her breakfast awaited her on a short table that sat between two all-weather 'wicker' chairs. She smiled while remembering their shared meal of the same items, two decades prior, and she loved that he hadn't forgotten either.

Love...

Yes, she did love Martin Castillo, very much indeed...

As she sat in one of the cushioned chairs, Sharon helped herself to a sip of the very strong coffee and looked out at the ocean. The sun was well up in the sky already, and one could tell that it was going to be another beautiful day in Miami.

A note, written on a folded piece of hotel stationary, carried Castillo's words-

Sharon,

Watching you sleep beside me, made it very difficult to leave this morning. Please call me when you find this note.

Anh yeu em,

Marty

A cell phone number was written below his name, and Sharon quickly retrieved her own and dialed it.

Castillo answered before the second ring.

"I found my breakfast," Sharon told him as she returned to her seat on the balcony. "Thank you."

He smiled on the other end of the connection. "Is it as good as what we had before? I didn't have time to go to our place, so I took a chance with the hotel's versions."

She tasted the miso soup. It was salty and still warm from being in an insulated container, as was the coffee. Both made her smile.

"Yes, though it's hard to say, really," Sharon told him honestly. "I'd never had either one until that day, so I don't know what constitutes good or bad. Since you were there with me for my first tastes of both, you could have made something truly awful taste like Ambrosia."

Her words made him chuckle. "I wish I was there with you."

Sharon hummed in reply. There was something incredibly intimate about speaking with Martin like this. Having his voice so near, even though there was distance between them, gave her the most wonderful feeling in her soul.

"One of my detectives left a message on my voicemail, during the night. Apparently the leader of the human trafficking cartel we just busted, wants to make a deal."

Sharon sipped at the bitter, but delicious coffee, and recalled her lover's stance on plea-deals. "What does he want, and what does he say he'll give you."

"If the intelligence is correct, major players in five countries in Eastern Europe. In exchange for his sentence reduced by half."

"That's a tough call. I don't know if I could close on that, but it is tempting."

Castillo huffed.

"Are you guys going to give it to him? What about the Feds?" Sharon asked as she watched the sets of waves roll into the shore below.

"I don't know, but I'm going to meet with our DA in a few minutes, and we're going to confer with the state and federal AG."

Sharon imagined all those egos speaking at once over Skype. "That'll be fun," she groaned.

"Once that is over, would you and Rusty like to do something? I was thinking we could take a drive out away from the city, and see some raw nature."

She smiled at her lover's suggestion. "And would this raw nature include an alligator farm, by any chance?"

"Rusty told me he still wants to visit one."

Sharon loved how Castillo cared so genuinely for her son, and couldn't help but picture him with Ricky and Emily...

"Would it be possible to visit one with a nice little gift shop that sells high-end shoes?"

Castillo laughed at that. "You'll enjoy it, I promise."

She believed him.

They each told the other they loved them before ending the phone connection.

Sharon's heart skipped as she stared out at the horizon.

A beat later, her phone rang again in her hand.

Without looking at the caller ID, she answered it, "What else did you forget to tell me?"

There was a long pause on the other end...

"Uh, that I miss you?"

For a very brief moment, Sharon Raydor's mind was at a complete blank. She had no words. A deep feeling of terror, combined with a swelling ball of guilt came upon her like a California wildfire.

"Andy!"

"Sharon!"

Lieutenant Flynn's subtle New York accent filled her ear, and for the second time in her life, Sharon knew what it felt like to be a cheater.

Not that she and Andy were a committed couple, but still...

In the very early days of trouble within her marriage to Jack, she'd accused him of sleeping with his secretary. The look of pained truth had washed over him, before he acknowledged her, and tears– whether they were real or not, formed at his eyes. Jack had promised he'd never cheat on her again, and Sharon forgave him. The next time, not so much.

Twice cheating, on her own part, but with the same man...

Sharon wondered if that earned her a pass to Purgatory, rather than straight down.

"I miss you too, Andy," she told him finally. And truthfully.

"Is Provenza behaving himself?"

"Yes, Patrice will be very proud of him when we get home."

Back in Los Angeles, Andy Flynn smiled. "I like the sound of that," he told her. "I mean, of you coming home. Not Provenza. I mean, I kinda miss the guy, and Amy as well, but I don't _miss them_ miss them... you know? I miss Rusty, too... but not like you, Sharon."

And the knife twisted deeper.

When Sharon failed to respond, Andy continued, "So the real reason I was calling was to let you know that the Pool Boy robbery/murder string is over. Sundahl was indeed our man, and we just got him tonight... or this morning, I should say."

Sharon did the math, subtracting Pacific from Eastern time. She imagined the remaining squad members had all had a late one of it. Hopefully Taylor would treat them all to a nicely catered breakfast for them in a few hours.

"Did Buzz get it all on video?"

"You bet."

"And did Julio keep his cool?" Sharon asked of her detective, while remembering that a child had surprised one of the robberies, and...

"Totally," Andy promised. "If anything, I got to be a little bit of the mean one in the interrogation. It was kinda fun, and I know that you like it when I get all manly."

Sharon coughed into her phone, after nearly choking on her miso soup.

"Are you alright?" the lieutenant tenderly asked.

"Yes, fine, Andy. Thank you. All of this news is just wonderful, and I look forward to signing off on the case once I get back. We all catch the Red Eye tomorrow night. I don't know about Sykes and Provenza, but I plan to come straight to the office from LAX."

"Looking forward to it!"

"Me, too."

Unable to respond further, Sharon ended the call.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	25. Chapter 25: The Match

_**A/N: So happy everyone is continuing to enjoy this- your reviews are always SO appreciated! I love Castillo, but writing Andy was fun in the previous chapter... we'll see him again later in the story, but first some Mama Raydor Time...**_

CHAPTER 25

Sharon found Rusty at his usual spot during the mid-morning time of day, seated beneath a turquoise & white striped market umbrella, at one of the tables in the hotel's pool bar.

Her son had an ongoing chess ritual with another guest, an elderly man who called himself Pistol Pete, and claimed himself to be a Master.

So far their match series was at a draw, with Rusty and Pete at two games each. The winner of this game went home the Champion of the Marbella Sand & Spa Hotel Chess Series Classic...

There were further grandiose additions to the title, but Sharon couldn't list them without laughing, as each day it got more and more over the top.

She just couldn't get enough of how much her son had grown, and for the person he was maturing into.

Holding back, Sharon watched as the last few moments of the game played out.

Within three moves, Rusty's king was finally held in checkmate. Graciously, he shook hands with Pete, and even bowed for effect.

Sharon took her cue to join him, once the winner excused himself to adjourn to the bar in search of a pink squirrel.

"You threw that, didn't you?"

Rusty didn't even flinch as Sharon's arms engulfed him in a hug.

"Yeah," he confessed with a shrug.

They sat, and Sharon ordered a Plantation Iced Tea, while Rusty continued to enjoy his Sprite. He started to put away the chess pieces furnished by the hotel's concierge, but Sharon motioned that she wanted to play, so he gladly re-set the board.

"So..."

Rusty raised his brows and looked up at his mother, after jumping one of his knights in an opening move.

"Sooo," he mockingly drawled. "Did you and Marty have fun last night?"

"Yes." Without saying anything further, she moved a pawn two spaces, as was legal in an opening move.

Her son grinned.

"And no, I'm not going to tell you which box we used, the size Large or Extra-Large," Sharon said in speaking of the Trojans that Rusty had bought her.

"Good," Rusty replied with a shudder. "Becuz' I really don't wanna know!"

Sharon flashed him one of her famous Mona Lisa smiles, as she moved a bishop.

"Just as long as you're happy, Mom."

"I am."

"Good."

After a few moves between the both, Sharon finally moved her queen out into the field of play. "Marty asked if you and I would like to do something fun later on today. Something involving nature, and an alligator farm. I said yes."

Rusty nearly choked on his soda. "You did?"

Taking advantage of her son's distraction, Sharon put herself in position to take one of Rusty's bishops with a pawn backed up by one of her knights.

"MmmHmm."

"That's so cool!"

"I thought so, too."

Finally, Rusty saw his mother's trap. Quickly he moved his bishop out of harm's way.

They played on, in companionable silence.

"You really love Marty, don't you?" Rusty asked as he took Sharon's last pawn. When his mother blushed, he couldn't help but ask/tease her further, "So are you guys gonna get married, and then he can be my new Daddy?"

Sharon arched a brow.

"Would you like that?" she asked in all seriousness.

"Um, yeah..." Rusty studied his mother's face and knew the look she was giving him, as he'd seen it many times in the past when they'd had heart-to-heart discussions such as the one they were having. "Would you?"

"It's not that simple."

Rusty rolled his eyes. "This marriage to Jack and Catholicism-bit is getting really old, Mom. If Sharon Raydor really wants something, she goes out and makes it happen. I think that's why nothing has ever really happened between you and Andy–"

"Honey–"

"And that's exactly why I haven't been on-board 100% between you and the lieutenant... because you're not really there either. Am I right?"

Sharon didn't answer, but instead moved her king out of harm's way.

"God wants us to be happy, right?" Rusty continued. "He loves us so much that he sent his Son to die for our sins, and Jesus willingly did that for us, right?"

Sharon's heart ached with pride, knowing that after dragging Rusty to church for countless Sundays, that he was indeed listening after all.

"Yes," she replied quietly.

"So when are you going to finally put down _your_ cross, and realize that maybe, just maybe, God has steered you back here to Miami, and Martin Castillo, for a reason? Mom, we all think that you guys are magic together–"

" _We all_?" Sharon cut in, while repeating Rusty's words.

Her son suddenly became fascinated with the inside of his glass of soda. "There _may_ have been a bet going as to whether or not you and Marty were finally going to have Sexy Time."

Sharon squeaked in horror.

Rusty continued, "It was our group, plus Marty's family and his lieutenants. Gina and Trudy both thought that Marty had forgotten how to have sex, it had been so long since he'd been with someone... Amy and Provenza each thought you'd chicken out... Kat was undecided... but Kara and Lee, and I all knew that you and Marty were bound for explosion, one way or the other. Kara knows her Old Man, and I know _you_ , so that's why I bought the condoms. Last night was a really special night, and you both looked like a million bucks, so it had to happen."

Sharon studied the chess board to center herself, and saw that Rusty had her king boxed in, and it was no doubt Check Mate.

In more ways than one...

"If things are supposed to work out between Marty and myself, they will," Sharon said finally as she and Rusty packed up the chess set for the day.

"I know," he stated with a sigh. "It's just that you guys are such a good thing. I'd give anything to have that. I mean, you and I are a good thing, and something I can't believe is even happening on most days, but-"

"You want romantic love for yourself," Sharon cut in gently. When Rusty answered with a shrug, she couldn't help but pull him into a warm embrace. "Is this also about Kat?" Sharon surmised in askance.

Rusty was quiet before replying. "She kissed me the other day when we were at the Casa Mia site. I didn't know what to do, so kissed her back. It was all pretty quick, and kinda nice... but the feeling just wasn't there. I wished that it was, and I told her so..."

"She knows you're gay."

The young man huffed a bit like Martin Castillo, and it made Sharon's heart ache.

"Yeah, of course," Rusty said as he and his mother headed for the elevators to go back to their rooms to better prepare for the day. Sharon was fully dressed in jeans and a Guatemalan peasant top, but he just had on board shorts and the t-shirt he'd slept in. Once they were alone in the hallway to their rooms, Rusty continued his impromptu confessional, "Actually, Kat told me she kinda goes both ways herself, and she just took a chance thinking that maybe I did or could too."

"I see," Sharon replied with a nod.

"It would be so cool... Kat and I get each other... and she's really like the girl version of me."

"Your soul's mate."

"Yeah."

Swallowing that piece of information, Sharon could not help but be reminded of William Shakespeare's famous line about the course of true love never being smooth.

It was a notion that she knew all too well for herself.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	26. Chapter 26: Best Of TimesWorst Of Times

_**A/N: So this is a very big chapter... it was tough to write, but I'm really happy with how it turned out, and I hope all of you will like it... please hug Sharon and Castillo after you read it, as I think they both need one! This story is not over, but we're now into the home stretch...**_

CHAPTER 26

Rusty could not help but smile, as the real-life romantic black & white movie played out before him.

As was their usual routine, Martin Castillo was waiting for them at their hotel's port-cochere.

But instead of striding casually towards the man, Sharon Raydor made it into a full-out run for her new/old lover. Castillo, in turn, closed the gap by a few long-legged strides. And then, the two were finally together, in each other's arms and kissing shamelessly right there in the grand entrance to the hotel.

A number of guests and staff applauded at the romantic sight...

Especially Rusty...

"Good to see ya, Son," Castillo said against Sharon's mouth.

"You too, _Papi_!"

Somehow Rusty made it to Castillo's truck without breaking into the biggest grin, ever.

The lovers were surely smiling as they both climbed into their respective seats in the cockpit. Both could hardly stop looking at each other, and held hands for several moments before Castillo finally drove them out onto the Miami streets.

"You know, we could just go back to the hotel and you guys can go at it all you want, and I can take this sweet ride out and go crusin' Ocean Drive like a playboy rapper..."

Sharon hummed. "The thought is tempting... Marty?"

Castillo flashed a rare, toothy grin from beneath his mustache, first at Sharon, then at Rusty in the truck's rear view mirror. "I'd love to, Son, but I made a promise to you, via your mother, that we'd go see them 'gators, and I vow to stick to it. No excuses."

Rusty swallowed the lump in his throat. "Cool."

Sharon couldn't help but smile at the two men she loved.

After a brief detour to a mall of food trucks, for an early lunch of fish tacos, they headed West, towards the Everglades.

The scenery was less and less densely populated as they got out of the city. Greener, and much more wild. They stopped a number of times to enjoy the views along the way, and take a few pictures, too.

Rusty especially liked the one he'd taken of Sharon and Castillo as they stood hand-in-hand in some tall grass looking out at the wetlands. Martin was wearing a simple and loose shirt of white linen, with his usual jeans and work boots, and complemented Sharon perfectly. The sun was shining just right, and it looked as though God was giving His blessing upon them being together.

"What are you smiling at, Young Man?" Sharon teased as she made her way back to the truck with Rusty.

He slipped his iPhone back in his pocket before she could see the picture that had become his new favorite thing, and coolly replied, "Nuthin'."

Sharon kissed him on the cheek and told him she loved him.

Back in the truck, they drove on while listening to a variety of music on the sound system. Tunes by U2, Prince, Bob Marley, and Norah Jones played, and Castillo's attempt to sing, gave Sharon the giggles.

"You sang a whole lot better, twenty years ago," she told the man, while wiping happy tears from her eyes.

"Twenty years ago we were both under the influence of rum," Castillo noted, as Prince sang about _the most beautiful girl in the world_. "That always helps with my performance, and the reception of my audience."

Rusty just about choked at that.

They drove on, until they finally came to their intended destination...

 **Miss Elosha's Home For Wayward Alligators**.

The tidy farm was set on a number of free range acres amid the famed Everglades, and did not disappoint.

Its proprietor, a short, rounded woman of Black Seminole decent, was equally as charming.

Miss Elosha greeted each of her new guests warmly, framing their faces in her weathered hands and kissing their cheeks like a favorite grandmother would. She was dressed in a purple cotton dress, paired with dangled bell earrings, and bright yellow Crocs on her feet.

"You've finally gotten yourself a woman, I see, Martin... this is very good."

Castillo shyly nodded to Elosha, then introduced Sharon and Rusty.

With great efficiency, the old woman took Rusty by the hand and led him off toward her _babies_.

Sharon and Castillo dutifully followed, albeit at a slower pace, so they could enjoy a few moments together alone.

"She's wonderful," Sharon said of Elosha. "And so are you."

They kissed lazily, letting their tongues do what the rest of their bodies wanted to be doing.

"I knew you'd like her," Castillo said eventually. "Rusty, too."

Sharon watched as her son quickly fell in love with the old woman, and couldn't help but wonder if Miss Elosha was going to give Martin Castillo a run for his money in the regards to Rusty's hierarchy of heroes.

Together, they walked hand-in-hand, to join in on the grand tour of the farm.

Through their hostess, Sharon and Rusty learned that as civilization encroached more and more on the land, numbers of alligators, and other creatures of the Everglades were often displaced from their natural territory, only to pop up in the more populated sections of not only Miami, but other parts of the state of Florida.

"Folks bring the gators to me, and I care for them, until they find new forever homes all over the world," the woman explained her work, over a freshly brewed pitcher of sweet tea and a plate of M&M cookies. "My only stipulation is that they must not be harmed, in any way. No burgers get made from these babies!"

Sharon winced at the thought, and felt guilt over her previous jokes about alligator heels...

"Speaking of, do you ever have any baby gators on the farm?" Rusty asked.

Elosha patted his shoulder. "I adore your son," she told Sharon in her thick Creole accent. "Come this way, Rusty... a pregnant female came to me, recently, and her eggs just hatched!"

"A baby anything is always adorable," Sharon noted wistfully.

"Agreed," Castillo replied while showing her the latest picture of his granddaughter sent to him that morning. In it, little Kacey was laying on her tummy, and Saturday morning cartoons could be seen on the large flat-screen in the background.

Sharon shook her head at the sight. "It starts earlier and earlier, doesn't it?"

Castillo huffed with equal amusement.

Together, they walked to another part of the farm, where the outer edge of the property touched the raw wetlands...

There, a wild flock of pink flamingos were gathered, a few yards out from where Sharon and Castillo stood.

He was behind her, with his arms encircling her waist, and his hands lightly on her abdomen. Sharon placed her own hands on his, and they both enjoyed the quiet moment together.

"So much... life..."

"Yes."

After awhile, Sharon finally turned to face Castillo, and when she did there were tears in her eyes. "I need to tell you something."

He smoothed away the huge salty drops with the pads of his thumbs, and nodded while feeling her emotional need.

They found a wood and wrought-iron bench nearby, and sat together.

There was no other way to say it...

"Marty, twenty years ago you and I conceived a child."

Although he said nothing in reply, his eyes never left hers. Behind his wire-rimmed glasses, a mix of emotions played out within the depths of his soul.

Shock...

Joy...

Awareness...

Loss...

And at the very last... pain.

"I wanted to tell you," Sharon said.

She also wanted in that very moment to touch her lover, but Castillo was so quiet and still that she was afraid that he might break.

"Why didn't you?" he asked eventually. Before she could reply, Castillo knew the answer in his heart. "That asshole!" he said of Jackson Raydor, while standing and stalking a few feet away. He couldn't look at Sharon, and kept his back to her, with his hands on his hips.

Sharon felt somewhat relieved that he didn't ask if she'd had an abortion, although he would've had every right to.

It was as if he already knew she'd miscarried...

"Was it a boy, or a girl?"

Sharon closed her eyes at the memory of that time, and when she opened them again, she saw Castillo kneeling before her, and reaching for one of her hands. When he kissed it, there were tears in his eyes.

Somehow, Sharon found her words...

"I don't know. It was too early in the pregnancy... but I've always liked to think that we were having a daughter."

"We did."

Sharon buried her hands in the thick of his hair, as he laid his head in her lap. They stayed like that for awhile, until Castillo grunted and moved to sit beside her on the bench.

"Your knees," she asked lightly.

He tried to laugh. "Yeah."

Once again, they sat in silence...

Their hands fused themselves together...

Eventually Castillo spoke again, and when he did, he had his own revelation. "I was shot at point blank range, two years ago by one of my young detectives."

Sharon swallowed in remembrance of the scars on her lover's chest.

"She was overcome by events after coming in from a months long undercover opp," Castillo began. "I'm told it was a miracle that I even made it to the hospital. My aorta was nicked, and I ended up losing my spleen."

"Oh God."

"Yes."

Sharon laid her head on Castillo's wide shoulder, and they sat in silence again, taking in the gravity of what had happened to them both.

"I was in a coma for awhile," he said eventually. "And during that time I had what I thought was a dream... but now... I know it was something else..."

"A vision?"

Castillo huffed. "I was at our beach... it was dawn, and the sky was awash with the most unbelievable colors... and then there was this girl... she looked just like you, but younger– and tan."

Sharon laughed a bit at that, and Castillo followed suit.

"She looked to be about Rusty's age, and she had an incredible grace and strength about her. Her first words to me were that I needed to get out of there... I remember starting to question her... but then she smiled and told me she loved me, and that others did too, so she couldn't be selfish... and that there would be another time when we'd all be together..."

"And then you woke up," Sharon surmised.

Castillo nodded.

Sharon wiped at more tears that she'd thought couldn't possibly even fall anymore. "I've always wondered what she would've looked like... what she would have grown to be..."

Castillo pulled her close. "I'm sorry that you didn't get to be her mother. She would have been damn lucky to have you."

"And I'm sorry that you didn't get to be her father. After what little I've seen of you with Kara and Rusty, and even with Amy Sykes, I know that our child would've had you wrapped around her little finger."

"True."

After another while, the two parents kissed, in a long soul baring way. Whatever was to happen between them in the future, they both knew that there would be an unbreakable bond that tied them together into infinity.

"We should get Rusty before he adopts one of the baby alligators and wants to take it home with us to Los Angeles," Sharon stated eventually.

Castillo chuckled at the thought, which he agreed was not far off from the truth. "One of my best detectives had one as a pet. Sonny lived on a sailboat, and the gator– Elvis, would sun himself on the upper deck... damn, I hated that thing!"

Sharon laughed at that, and it felt good.

They found Rusty sitting at a picnic bench, and listening in awe as Elosha told him about her family's rich history in the area. When they both saw Sharon and Castillo, they smiled knowingly.

"I will see you later, Martin," Elosha told the man. "I made plenty of your favorite peas and rice, for the party tonight!"

When Sharon arched a brow, Castillo explained, "Kara is throwing me a No-Surprise Party at my home, in honor of last night's award... I'd almost forgotten about it, but Trudy reminded me this morning at the station. Gina had my change of clothes, and I was told that I couldn't go home before dusk."

"Oh my," Sharon purred.

"I don't do surprises," Castillo grunted.

"Neither does Mom," Rusty stated with a wink to Elosha.

Both Sharon and Castillo groaned, before thanking their hostess. Rusty thanked Elosha as well, and added a hug.

The drive back towards Miami was still very familial, but decidedly more subdued than it had been when they set out earlier in the day.

Rusty noted that no music played on the truck's superior sound system, and that his mother and Castillo each seemed lost in their own thoughts. For an instant, Rusty wondered if they'd had a fight. But then, the pair reached for each other's free hands for a gentle squeeze across the divide between the driver's and passenger's seats, and he knew that everything was alright.

Or at least, still very good...

Still, when they made a slight detour, and made a stop at a rare and lonely stretch of beach, Rusty feigned sleep in the backseat, and watched through half-closed eyes as Sharon and Castillo got out and walked down to the shoreline together.

Once he knew they couldn't see him spying on them anymore, Rusty sat up fully, and watched unabashedly.

Marty was carrying a bunch of wild flowers that he'd picked before leaving Elosha's, and he slipped one behind Sharon's ear. A few words seemed to have been said, before the couple kissed, and then together they tossed the flowers into the surf.

Sharon wiped away at a small tear, as she and Castillo returned to the truck and they got back out on the road to go to his home.

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	27. Chapter 27: One Last Flashback

_**A/N: I think the Shandy fans will like this one... =]**_

CHAPTER 27

(15 Years Ago)

The day would have been hard enough, but to have to inject Jackson Raydor into the mix, made things even worse.

She would have been five years old...

With her own little persona, likes, dislikes, and soul...

And hopefully, his rare but warm smile...

Sharon swallowed her melancholy, and called up the stairs to her oldest child, Ricky. Jack was waiting in the foyer of what used to be their family home, a tidy Cape Cod in Pasadena. It was a Saturday, and her estranged husband had tickets to a Kings game. Normally, Ricky loved hockey, but when it came to attending a game with his father... not so much...

"I know Em's away at Dance Camp, but I've still got the extra ticket– you could go with us, Shar-on'."

She glared at Jack, and thought of a word that rhymed with _puck_ , but didn't want to go low.

"Richard Raydor, now!" Sharon shouted up the stairs. To Jack, she smiled tightly and said, "I have to go into the office , but thank you for thinking of me."

"You know that I always do," The Husband replied, and actually winked at her!

"Yes, just like when you sent me forty, pink plastic flamingos, for my birthday," Sharon fired back pointedly.

She just couldn't resist...

"That was cool, wasn't it?" Again, Jack winked at her.

"Ask Tom, I'm sure he'd go with you," Sharon said of Jack's law partner.

The Husband shrugged. "Tom's got trial prep, which I really should be helping him on, but since I luv my son so much..."

Before Sharon could bleed out from biting her tongue, Ricky finally bumped down the stairs. He had ear buds in, hooked to an iPod, and an expression on his face that matched his mother's perfectly.

Sharon pulled the cord of one of the ear buds, and whispered to her son, "Only a few more years of these agreed visitations, and you're home free."

Ricky kissed his mother's cheek, then gave her a wink that she actually liked. "Got it, Mom."

Then they were gone...

And the house felt incredibly empty...

# # #

Sitting in her office at the Force Investigation Division, the newly minted lieutenant stared at the phone sitting amid piles of duty records on the desk.

Sharon was investigating a cop within the L.A.P.D Vice Division, and she couldn't help but think of... _him_.

Had the by-the-book Martin Castillo, ever been investigated for potential wrong-doing?

The thought made her arch a brow.

She missed him...

Her body missed him...

As did her soul...

Throwing caution to the wind, Sharon reached for her nationwide directory of police units, and whipped through the pages until she found the listing for Miami-Dade, and all of its various departments. Vice was among the last in the queue.

Dialing, she calculated the time difference and figured it was a possibility that he could be in the office.

He'd confessed to her that he really had no life outside of work, and often slept on a sofa in his office during times of critical casework.

A woman with a slight East-Coast accent, answered after two rings.

"Yes, may I please speak with Lieutenant Martin Castillo? This is Lieutenant Sharon Raydor, of the Los Angeles Police Department's Force Inves–"

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant," the woman on the other line cut in. "But Lt. Castillo is away on Family Leave."

Sharon's rising spirits took a nose-dive. "I see."

"Would you like to leave a message? He checks in daily, and I can have him return your call. If it is about a case, then perhaps my partner and I may be of service?"

"No, that is not necessary," Sharon replied with a heavy heart. "Thank you."

"Have a nice day."

"And you, as well."

After hanging up the receiver, Sharon hugged herself and fought back tears. A few betrayed her, and ended up falling on her lap.

 _Family Leave._

Of course, even the scary and intimidating Martin Castillo had a family. He'd told her of his youth in East L.A., and of his hard-working parents and stern, but loving grandmother. It was entirely possible that his aging mother or father was was in need of care...

Either that, or he now had a family of his own...

For his sake, Sharon hoped so. He was too good of a man to have never been a father. Sharon liked to think that in the few years that had passed since they were together, he had reunited with his ex-wife, and by now they had a small brood of adorable Castillos running around Miami.

With that in mind, Sharon could not stop thinking of their own...

And what could have been...

Had they been together, and their baby lived, Sharon imagined that they would have marked the little one's milestone with hundreds of kisses, and tons of presents. Perhaps they would've taken her to one of the Disney parks, on either his or her coast. Of course, Ricky and Emily would have gone as well, and they would have adored their baby sister. All five of them would have had a very full, and wonderfully memorable day of love and celebration.

A knock at her closed office door startled her, and Sharon quickly wiped away her falling tears before summoning in the new arrival.

"So this is the famous Darth Raydor? The fastest rising star in the FID, sitting behind her desk on a Saturday afternoon, crying?"

Sharon looked up to see a tall, dark-haired man about her age, dressed casually in khaki's and a polo shirt. He was tan, had laugh lines at the corners of his eyes, and was just beginning to go silver at the temples. She smiled with embarrassment, and regarded him with a cool nod.

"Detective Andy Flynn, it's good to see you," Sharon began. "I apologize for my appearance... I was just thinking about... my children..."

Andy waved her off. "Don't worry about it. I have a daughter, and I get choked up all the time whenever I think about her. Nicole's mom and I are divorced, and I don't get to see her all that much, because... well, let's just say that I wasn't the greatest husband or father in my earlier days."

Sharon knew of Flynn's reported issues with alcoholism, and hummed at the irony, while thinking of The Husband, and Jack taking Ricky to that damned hockey game. "I'm sure there are worse men... I mean, fathers..."

Andy shrugged. "Hope so!"

"Yes, well, I do appreciate you coming in on a Saturday to discuss Detective Mathias... I know that he was your partner back when you first joined the force, and I'm hoping that you may help shed some further light on the department's investigation of him."

After a beat, the robbery-homicide detective reached into one of his pants pockets, retrieved a blue Mini-Mag Light flashlight, and then clicked it on for effect.

"That's me, Det. Andy Flynn, bearer of the light, for those in need– at your service!"

Sharon smiled, then frowned before heaving an impressive stack of files that had once been piled on the floor, right onto her desk with a mighty slam. "We have a lot to go over. We're going to be here awhile."

"Mathias was no Boy Scout," Andy noted with a sigh. "Would you like to take a break later, and grab a late lunch– or an early dinner?"

Sharon's empty stomach growled at the mention of food, which only made her frown again. "I can't be seen socializing with someone connected to an active case that I'm working on."

Det. Andy Flynn frowned as well, but after hearing the lieutenant's stomach growl again, he couldn't help but smile gamely. "I know a great little Italian place in the area that delivers. We could order in some meatball subs, get our work done, and no one would even be the wiser."

Finally, Sharon smiled.

 _Move forward_ , she told herself. _Marty has, and so should you..._

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	28. Chapter 28: The Party

_**A/N: It's Party Time, at Casa Castillo, and this chapter gets a bit of an M-rating, towards the end... Many thanks to the readers who continue to enjoy it- especially Leauh2o, who binge-read the previous 27 chapters! And a special note to the Guest reviewer who pointed out my error in Ricky & Emily's birth order/ages... Thank you for the correction- I totally blew that one, and promise to do better in the future! My only defense is that Ricky is wiser than his years, and totally Mama Sharon's son...**_

CHAPTER 28

It was just after sundown when they reached Castillo's waterfront home.

A number of vehicles were parked along the relatively long, palm lined driveway, that led to an Asian-style house. Music could be heard playing from the back, and the smell of grilling meat wafted on the gentle evening breeze.

Castillo led Sharon and Rusty through a side gate, bypassing the front door, and going directly to where the party was obviously well underway.

Kara, was the first to see and greet them. She was wearing flip flops, and dressed in a clear blue sun dress, accessorized by her newborn daughter who was barefoot and wearing a pink Miami-Dade PD onesie.

"Look who's here!" the young woman said in her new-mommy voice. "Abu!"

With a heavy heart, Sharon watched as Castillo froze upon seeing the pair.

Instead of melting into a puddle of goo, her lover put up his hands, and quietly uttered the words, "I can't," before walking past Kara and the baby and moving on.

"Is he alright?" Castillo's daughter asked Sharon.

After witnessing what he had earlier, Rusty wanted to know the very same thing, but hadn't questioned either of the women.

Apparently Kara Thrace-Adams had bigger cajones than he did.

"No," Sharon said finally. "But he will be. Just give him time, Kara."

"I'm guessing the two of you crossed the river that you spoke of, the other night?"

"Yes."

Rusty raised his eyebrows at the cryptic conversation between the adults. He needed to find Kat, and start dishing with her on what he'd seen earlier.

Sharon and Kara watched their man as he shook hands with several party guests, before grabbing an icy Corona and removing the cap bare handed, and walking down to where the property met the inlet of water that led out to the sea. Castillo was beyond pensive as he stared across to the barrier island, and the rolling ocean beyond.

Both women shared the face of concern.

"I should go to him," Kara declared.

"No, Honey–"

The young woman gave Sharon the evil eye, yet handed over her child to her before going to Castillo.

After spotting his new best friend at the food station, Rusty took his cue to leave as well.

Little Kacey snuggled into Sharon, and drooled adorably.

"You wear grandmother-hood well, Captain," Louie Provenza noted as he joined his boss. The lieutenant was clad in pants and a flowered shirt, and was nursing a Thai beer in one hand, and a plate of summer rolls in the other.

"Thank you," Sharon replied distantly.

"Great party. Word is it's a pre-retirement shindig. Your man's thinkin' of turning in his badge and gun in a few months."

The news took Sharon by surprise, as Castillo hadn't mentioned such.

Turnabout was fair play...

When Sharon sighed, Provenza frowned.

"Trouble in paradise?"

"I told him about the child we lost."

Provenza figured as much.

He'd hoped that Sharon would have told Castillo about their baby before _renewing_ their relationship. But, judging by the look on her face when he'd last seen her at the dinner, when she left with Castillo, Provenza could tell that the good captain had other needs on her mind at the time.

The pair watched as Kara placed a hand on Castillo's shoulder. Words were exchanged, and then the father and daughter walked toward the house and slipped inside.

"And now she knows," Sharon said with a hum.

Provenza chuckled. "Your man's daughter is a hard charger, alright."

"That she is."

"Good luck, Captain. It's been nice knowin' ya."

Sharon watched as Provenza took his leave, and re-entered the gathering.

It was indeed, a very nice party.

Small and intimate, Castillo's backyard was aglow with tiki torches posted throughout, and fairy lights in the trees. A very large table of food held everything from baked penne pasta, to pulled pork sliders. Kal-bi ribs were being tended to on a grill, and made-to-order quesadillas, were being prepared by Trudy Joplin's restraunteur/chef husband. A mixologist was creating a variety of margaritas, and a large open vessel held bottled flat and sparkling water and cans of sodas on ice, for those who were non-drinkers. True to her word, Miss Elosha had brought her promised rice and peas, but instead was digging into a platter of beautifully prepared sushi. Salads and desserts were to be had as well, and Sharon hoped there were enough Okinawan donuts– or andagi, to go around before the night was over.

A three-piece reggae band played acoustically, as guests danced and visited with each other.

Amy Sykes, who was dressed in a gorgeous yellow maxi-dress, stood with Kara's husband, Lee, while Castillo's lieutenants, Trudy and Gina saw to making sure everything was going smoothly. The two women were likely working with Kara on the party, and Sharon had no doubt that every detail had been made with the man-of-honor in mind.

She just hoped that he could enjoy it.

With Kacey in one arm, Sharon made her way into the party. While chatting with a number of people, she grabbed a couple of California Rolls, and a Mason jar of iced sangria, then danced slowly with her sleepy charge, as the band played a reggae version of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for the both of them.

After awhile, Castillo found Sharon, and pulled her and the baby into his arms.

He kissed Kacey first, being careful not to scrape her delicate skin with his mustache, then he kissed Sharon– with much more passion.

Sharon hummed after tasting him. The sweet musk was undeniable on his tongue. As was the look in his dark eyes.

"Marty, my God, are you high?"

Her lover gave her a lopsided grin, and replied, "A little bit."

They kissed again, and Sharon could've sworn that she herself was getting a secondary herbal transfer.

"Where did you get it?"

"I caught some of Kat's friends smoking, on the edge of the property. I didn't want them offering to either her– or Rusty, so I took their stash, and threatened them with jail time."

"And later sampled some of the evidence?" Sharon wryly surmised.

Castillo blushed in the night. "I needed an attitude adjustment, and beer wasn't working."

Sharon hummed, then playfully kissed her lover. "It's good stuff," she noted against him.

Together, they made a Love Sammie, with the sleeping Kacey as the filling, and everything in the world felt pretty damn nice.

"Stay with me tonight?" Castillo asked as he placed a kiss between Sharon's neck and shoulder.

Her heart swelled. "Yes, of course. I can't imagine being anywhere else."

They kissed sweetly again, then found the necessary people they needed to say goodnight to.

Sharon found Rusty, who was sharing a plate of andagi with Kat. Flood lights illuminated the ocean inlet, and throughout the evening, Rusty and the other kids at the party had been taking turns swinging on a rope hanging from a tree, and diving into the water. His hair was wet, and he was wearing some borrowed swim trunks, and he looked every bit of his young years.

When the boy offered his mother _one_ of the fried treats to his mother, she took _two,_ and it caused him to grin.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Sharon told her son, as she kissed him on the cheek.

Rusty blushed, then replied, "Cool, tell Marty goodnight for me."

"And have a great time, Captain!" Kat added with a knowing snort, as the woman walked away.

A few minutes later, Sharon joined Castillo, as held his granddaughter, and stood with her parents.

Kara hugged Sharon upon seeing her, and whispered into her ear, "I'm so sorry about your baby."

"Me too," Sharon replied in kind. "But I'm very, very happy that Marty has you for a daughter."

The younger woman fought back tears. "Is it okay if Kacey calls you Grandma?"

" _Mimi_ ," Castillo corrected.

Sharon grinned. "I'd be honored."

The two couples bid each other goodnight, then _Abu & _Mimi relinquished custody of the little princess to her parents, and took their leave as the party steadily winded down.

# # #

"I haven't seen one of these in years," Sharon said of the spiral staircase they climbed to reach the second floor of Castillo's home.

The main floor was open, and sparsely furnished, with a leather sofa and a low, Japanese-style coffee table on one end of the living area. The floors were wood, and a few moody pieces of his daughter's art hung on the walls.

Clearly out of place in the obvious bachelor's home, was a Graco Pack N' Play, near the open kitchen, with a number of baby items stored inside.

"I've been doing a bit of work on the house, and getting materials upstairs has been a bitch," Castillo noted with a chuckle as they reached the landing.

Sharon hummed, as they walked hand-in-hand toward his bedroom.

As they neared, a warm glow could be seen from the darkened hallway. Muffled noises could be heard coming from the room, and Castillo cautioned Sharon to stay a few feet behind him. She nodded, wishing that either one of them had been armed, and prayed that her lover would be safe as he stepped into the unknown of the bedroom.

A small ruckus could be heard, immediately after, and then she heard Castillo lightly swear... then laugh.

"Marty?"

"It's safe, Sharon," he replied a beat later. "You can come in."

When she did, Sharon found Castillo standing in a room filled with glowing candles. Orchid petals had been scattered all over the floor, and on the king-size bed that had been turned down for the night– and lovemaking.

"Did you do this?" she asked as she joined him.

Castillo huffed. "No. This is Kara and my lieutenants' doing," he stated wryly. "I think I caught Kat jumping out the window when I came in. The team must've been timing our exit from the party, and sending Kat in for the set-up while we weren't looking, just so this would be all in place for us at the very last minute."

Sharon looked around the room. It looked like something out of a very romantic movie, and the smile on her lips matched her lover's perfectly.

"I get quite the feeling that there's a conspiracy going on here," she said before kissing him.

He grunted against her. "I think we ought to follow it, don't you?"

"Most definitely."

After making speedy work of removing their clothes, Castillo swept Sharon into his arms and laid her on the bed amidst the pile of downy pillows and scattered orchid petals.

Despite having plenty of them on hand, they both decided to forgo the use of condoms. Sharon and Castillo were both perfectly healthy, and neither one wanted any sort of barrier between them anymore. Too much from both of their pasts had separated them, when they'd been together the night before, and now they each needed to feel the other without any limitations at all.

Once they were initially joined, Castillo rolled them to his back, and stared up at Sharon in the glow of candlelight.

"I love you," they said at the same time, then laughed.

Sharon dipped her head down to kiss him, and Castillo willingly responded. He held one of her hands in his, then cupped one of her breasts in the other. She adored his tenderness, as he thumbed his rough digit against her peaked nipple, and sighed warmly as he moved his hips to deepen their connection. All of the taste of herb was gone from his tongue, as it lazily mated with her own. The only thing that remained was Castillo's own natural essence, a flavor that Sharon had quickly come to crave over the past week.

Her free hand explored the hardness of his muscled chest and arms, as she moved in time to him. Sharon loved how warm his body always seemed to be, especially in moments such as their present joining. They could have been making love in a blinding snowstorm, and she knew that Martin Castillo would have kept her safe and warm and protected.

Eventually, her moist tightness became to much for him, and Castillo held onto her sides and rolled them back into their previous position. She whimpered with equal need, and tightened her legs around him, as he teased her yearning.

"Oh Gods, yes," Sharon moaned, as she fell over the edge.

Castillo followed, then emptied himself into her.

Spent and sweaty, they held onto each other– not quite sure if they were alive, or in the bliss of Heaven itself.

Sharon kissed his wet hair, as Castillo laid his head on her chest.

Reverently, he caressed her middle while whispering a prayer in Spanish.

She added her own, in remembered Latin.

Together they said, "Amen."

They kissed, then wiped away each other's gathered tears.

"I suppose that it's too much to hope that lightning could strike twice?" he asked rhetorically, while they spooned in the middle of the big bed.

She frowned, but then couldn't help but giggle at the sight of her lover. Orchid petals were stuck all over his body– and hers as well, and he looked like the Fairie King from William Shakespere's, A Mid-Summer Night's Dream.

"Yes," Sharon told him softly. "I'm afraid my oven is officially closed, for business. If we want a baby, we'll just have to take little Kacey for our own."

"Done," Castillo stated with a grin, as he nosed her temple. "Kara and Lee can easily make more."

Sharon giggled, and was about to make a play for her lover's sex, when she heard his stomach rumble. "Somebody's got the Munchies," she noted.

Castillo nipped her shoulder in reply...

Playfully swatting him away, Sharon told Castillo to get them some water, while she retrieved the andagi from where she'd placed them on the night stand earlier.

Dutifully, he complied, and while walking toward the bathroom to fetch a glass to share, Sharon could not help but enjoy the view of her man, naked.

"You still have a great ass, Captain!" she called, once he was out of her sight.

"So do you," he told her a few seconds later on his return.

Sharon giggled, as she noticed that he had orchid petals in his thatch.

"These frakking flowers," Castillo grunted as they made a little picnic in the bed.

By the time they'd shared the water, and fed each other the andagi, the bed was a complete mess of crumbs, petals, and smeared semen. The scene was something out of an Ancient Greco-Roman orgy, and smelled like one, too.

"I'll help you change the sheets in the morning," Sharon promised him.

But first, they would make love once more, with renewed energy, before snuffing out the candles for the sake of safety, and then falling into a blissfully spooned sleep...

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	29. Chapter 29: One Love

_**A/N: We're here- at the next-to-the-last chapter... Hope all of you enjoy it- your reviews are treasured greatly, and I thank all of you!**_

CHAPTER 29

Balmy and gentle trade breezes, billowed the sheer window curtains, and if one listened very carefully, one could hear the distant call of the ocean.

Sharon smiled, as she watched her lover sleep beside her. She'd been robbed of such a sight the day before, when he'd risen easy to go into the station, and twenty years before, when he'd gone for an early swim in the ocean.

But now, the moment was all hers, and Sharon relished every second if it.

His tan skin was oh-so delicious, against the ivory sheets, and she could tell that he was dreaming behind his closed eyelids. Sharon couldn't help but wonder what scenes were playing inside his subconscious.

Her own dreams had been wonderfully vivid, and filled with him and their combined families.

Sharon hummed as she watched Castillo's strong and even breaths. A lone orchid petal clung to his mustache, and she deftly plucked it away before he could find it upon waking.

Damn, but he was pretty.

It wasn't fair that a man could have such dark and long eyelashes.

She was about to kiss him, and then his low voice startled her.

"Are you watching me sleep?"

"Uh huh."

"Frak me, but I was hoping to do the same thing with you!"

They kissed, as he pulled her closer into the circle of his arms, and entwined their legs.

Both agreed that the night before, had been like no other. And the day ahead of them was to be a very close rival.

Sharon fingered the gold St. Christopher that Castillo still wore, as her eyes fell on his scarred chest. "I'm glad that you still wear this."

"Always," he replied while lazily nuzzling her hair. "My grandmother threatened to haunt me if I didn't."

"She and Chris, kept you safe the day you were shot."

"Yes."

"Is there still time to make Sunday Mass at your parish?"

"They have several. We can even pick up Rusty, from the hotel, and we can make a family thing of it."

"Kara doesn't go?"

Castillo frowned. "She does, but when she married Lee, she threw herself in with the Anglicans."

Sharon stifled a laugh, and kissed her lover's pouting mouth. "At least they accept divorce."

He arched a brow at that.

"Would you ever consider... converting?"

"If the right man came along... possibly."

On that note, the lovers adjourned to Castillo's newly renovated bathroom, and made good and long use of the luxurious shower for two– and the built in bench beneath the rainfall showerhead.

Amid the steam and the lather, she shaved him...

And then he shaved her...

Together, they ended up getting almost as messy as they had been before, and had to wash each other, all over again.

It was very companionable, as the lovers continued to ready themselves for the day. Sharon re-dressed in her clothes from the day before, while Castillo chose a new pair of jeans and a black linen shirt from his closet.

She did her make-up, and styled her hair with a dryer that belonged to Kara...

He swept up all the browning orchid petals...

And together, they changed the sheets, and re-made the bed...

Somehow, the lovers made it out the door, to go pick up Rusty from the hotel.

Along the way, Sharon completed their check-out process, via an app on her phone, as Castillo drove. Both lovers could not stop smiling at each other, and the sight of them together made the waiting Rusty smile too.

Dutifully, he helped Castillo load the luggage into the security covered bed of the cop's truck.

Their little group made it to the church, just in time to make confession before the next Mass.

Rusty would've given his eye-teeth to have known what his mother and Castillo each confessed, and had trouble keeping a straight face during the service, as he sat with them both.

After the Mass ended, Sharon and Castillo lit candles for each of their children– both on earth and in heaven.

"Did you give her a name?" Castillo asked quietly of Sharon, as they walked out of the church, hand-in-hand.

The woman paused briefly, as her heart ached. "It was very early in my pregnancy... but, yes."

"And?"

"You might laugh."

Castillo looked at her with an expression of honest and pure love. "Never."

Sharon felt her cheeks turn pink. " _Persephone_."

Her lover rolled his lips inward, as he attempted to retain his composure.

"When I was in my Junior year of high school, I was very much into Greek Mythology, and read Dante's Inferno from cover-to-cover. And yes, it sounds like one of those ridiculous names celebrities give their poor, innocent babies, but I always liked the sound of it. Persephone Jane O'Dwyer-Castillo."

Castillo gave it some thought, nodded, and then kissed Sharon tenderly. "I love it, almost as much as I love you," he said against her lips.

Rusty, deaf to all that had been said, teased the lovers unmercifully.

"Are you guys just gonna stand there all day and make out, or are we gonna get something to eat?"

And so they adjourned to a nearby sidewalk café, and partook in a leisurely and delicious Sunday Brunch.

Rusty, who sat opposite the lovers, had never seen his mother so carefree. As the warm Miami sun played on Sharon's features, she looked a good decade younger– if not more. Martin Castillo was extremely good for her, and she was for him as well. The two debated, agreed, and disagreed– all with great passion and love.

He wanted to keep these moments with him, forever.

Over the course of their brunch, they dined on platters of breakfast bruchetta– toasted bread smeared with soft goat cheese, topped with scrambled eggs and capers, and healthy and delicious acai bowls. Sharon sipped on a passion fruit mimosa, while her men drank iced tea with fresh sugar cane. Pictures were taken, and a good time was had by all.

Later, they cruised the misted sidewalks of Ocean Drive– window shopping at all of the pricey stores, and messed around on the bustling boardwalk of Miami Beach.

Somehow, Rusty talked Castillo into buying a genuine Panama hat. All three of them took turns wearing it, and both guys agreed that Sharon looked best in the straw fedora.

They took in art galleries of all types, and enjoyed various street performers along the way.

At one point, they came upon a popular and respected tattoo shop, and Sharon shocked both her son and lover by leaving them on the sidewalk to duck inside...

Thirty minutes later, she greeted them with a smile, as they drank frozen lemonades across the street.

"What'd you get, Mom?" Rusty asked.

"And where'd you get it?" Castillo begged to know.

Sharon smiled sweetly, and kissed them both– before stealing her lover's drink, and walking on without confession.

Later, and after much prodding, Castillo gave Sharon and Rusty a tour of his workplace, and then proudly drove them to a number of the Casa Mia house projects. Rusty already knew some of kids at work, thanks to his new best friend, Kat, and Sharon was quite taken with how easily he interacted with them, and how they all admired Martin Castillo.

As darkness fell, and the day was nearly over, they had one more Must to check off on their list...

An authentic Cubano.

Neither Sharon, nor Rusty, had ever had one of the famed sandwiches before. And so, Castillo took them to a tiny place that he knew, near the airport.

And it was the best thing ever eaten.

Knowing that their time together was limited, Sharon and Castillo took their time as they walked back to his truck. Rusty went on ahead, while texting their progress to Sykes and Provenza, who were to meet them at the airport to fly home together.

"Word is that you're going to be retiring soon," Sharon noted as Castillo tucked an arm around her.

"This is true," he replied quietly.

"Do you have... plans?"

"That depends."

Sharon stopped, then faced him.

Castillo swallowed, as what he was going to say had been weighing on him greatly.

"Leland is moving his start-up to Los Angeles. His partner is based there, and they both feel that it would be good for the business, so Lee, Kara, Kacey... and Louie the Humper, are all relocating."

"What about Kat?"

"No... she's been accepted to the US Naval Academy, in Annapolis... I'm surprised that she hasn't told Rusty, as she's very excited to be a pilot and kick ass, like Lee and Zak."

Sharon smiled at the idea, and knew the girl would excel greatly.

"Kara has put in for a transfer to the LAPD's Domestic Crimes unit, and is awaiting word, but–"

"She'll get it," Sharon predicted.

Castillo nodded.

"Who will watch Kacey, during the day?"

"Abu."

Sharon moved to kiss her lover, but he backed away cautiously.

"I'll only do it, if you agree," he told her cautiously. "This is very sudden, I know. And you have Flynn, and that POS husband–"

"Marty?" Sharon interrupted him suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up and let Mimi kiss you."

Before the Castillo knew it, Sharon drew him to her, and crushed her mouth to his. Their tongues mated, and their souls fused once again.

"We can take things slow, or fast, I really don't care. But I want you, and your wonderful family, in my life, Martin Castillo. We'll figure things out with Jack, and I'll talk things over with Andy. But this... what you and I have... it needs to happen. I've known it from the moment I first saw you... twenty years ago, and now since we've been together. It used to scare me, but now... I just want us to be together. Okay?

"Okay."

They kissed again, sealing the deal.

# # #

Hours later, as Captain Sharon Raydor sat in her seat, bound for LAX, she couldn't help but remember her unease upon embarking on their journey to Miami the week before.

Somehow she'd find a way to thank Assistant Chief Russell Taylor, for insisting that she go.

Their group sat together, in the middle seats of the plane. Provenza was sunburned from many rounds of golf, and was snoring to Rusty's right. Sykes was stretched across her seat, and the next one to her on the aisle, and lay sleeping with her head on a pillow on Sharon's lap. Unable to sleep, Rusty prodded her and asked in whisper, what she was thinking.

"Or do I even have to ask?" he added in teasing.

"No," Sharon replied, with a smirk.

"I can't wait for Marty to come to LA."

"Me, too."

Rusty paused, then asked quietly asked his mother about what he'd seen transpire the day before, between her and Castillo at the beach.

Sharon swallowed, knowing that she'd have to tell Rusty about her lost pregnancy, sooner or later. Neither could sleep, and they had more than enough time before they reached home.

"Your kid brought you guys back together," Rusty said, once everything had been told.

Sharon nodded, while smoothing away both their tears.

"That she did... and so did you..."

#TO BE CONTINUED#


	30. Chapter 30: Epilogue

_**A/N: We're here at the end of the line... for this story! Fans of Battlestar Galactica will recognize Jack's law/gambling partner- played by the late great Richard Hatch... and those who watched Miami Vice will know their opponents very well... I thank each and every one of you for reading, and loving this as much as I do. It's been a blast to write, and I truly appreciate how well that it's been received. A sequel is coming at some point, so keep your eyes out for more Pink Flamingos on the horizon!**_

CHAPTER 30

Somewhere in International Waters...

He was feeling lucky.

Jackson Raydor could just feel that old magic in the salty sea air, as he and his law and gambling partner, Tom Zarek, stepped off the helicopter and onto the very large luxury yacht, named Pegasus.

"Didya get a load of that sweet little almond-eyed girl pilot we had?"

Jack nodded and grinned at his buddy, in the full moonlight. "More like, will have– once this little party is over. I say we ask Captain Athena if she has a sister or two, then we'll have a real good time, Tommy."

Both men snickered and punched each other in the shoulder.

On the edge of the heli-pad, a man in a slim white tuxedo, identified himself as Mr. Gaeta, and then promptly escorted Jack and Tom toward the lower decks of the boat.

The new arrivals tried to play things cool, but neither had ever seen such a richly appointed room– on either a boat, or on land, as the stateroom that they were brought to. The whole place, like the rest of the boat, looked and smelled expensive. With dark leather and rich hardwoods throughout, the cabin had a definite air of a tony London gambling den, what with the antique poker table and chairs in the center of the room, along with posh couches, and a marble-topped bar along one window lined bulkhead.

While Jack and his partner were both exceptionally well dressed in their courtroom finest, the two men who were standing near the bar, took things to a whole next level.

The black guy, who might've been of Afro-Cuban decent, was wearing a deep sapphire blue suit with a canary yellow shirt and tone-on-tone tie of the same color. A cherry red pocket square added an even brighter pop near his lapel.

"Rico Tubbs," the man offered, as he affably pumped both Jack & Tom's hands, while diamond studs glittered from both of his ears.

The white guy stepped up next, with a shit-eating grin on his mug. He was dressed in a deep green Hugo Boss, accented by a brick red shirt, black tie, and a polka dotted pocket square.

"Sonny Crockett... nice to meet both of ya."

Jack and Tom shook hands with the man, and tried not to be blinded by the shine coming off both of their hosts' Italian-made shoes.

"Before we get underway, what's your poison?" Crockett asked the newcomers. The man was a charming devil, with a slight Southern drawl and a twinkle in his eye.

"Scotch," Tom Zarek replied, as he eagerly eyed the aged bottle on display.

"Just water and a twist," Jack stated piously.

Later, if all went as he saw it, he'd swim in Cristal.

With drinks in hand, the foursome adjourned to the table where cigars were passed around, and the game got underway.

"So, where are you fellas from?"

Tubbs flashed an ivory smile in Jack's direction. "New York."

"Here... there..." Crockett drawled.

Over cards, drinks, and cigars, the group talked cars, sports, women, and the sport of women– which was fairly typical of such an atmosphere of over-stuffed males. The level of BS was high, and a good time was being had by all.

"Are either of you two cats, married?"

"No– never," Zarek chuckled. "Keeps things simpler that way, if you know what I mean?"

Tubbs nodded. "How about you, Raydor?"

Jack confidently threw in a handful of chips to the pot. Lady Luck had been smiling on

him for the greater part of the night. She'd kissed Tom as well, but had all but given himself a full on blow job.

"Guilty as charged," he replied with a shrug.

Crockett raised his scotch glass to Tom, then said, "Sorry, Man."

Jack waived a hand. "Aw, Shar-On's not so bad... we've been separated for years now, and things work out pretty damn good. She and I've got two grown kids who are each successful and healthy. I get to play– without commitment, and all I have to do is make Confession once a week. I could deal with less of the wife's recent demands, to sign our divorce papers, but hey– it's a small sacrifice for a pretty easy life."

All four men chuckled, and blew smoke rings from their cigars, as a very god time was being had by all.

As the evening dragged on, however, Jackson Rador's chip count slowly began to erode like the shoreline at high-tide, and Tom Zarek's supply was no better.

Eventually it was Sonny Crockett that held the pot.

Jack and Tom knew that they'd been played, as they were both players themselves.

"Get out the checkbook, Zarek," Jack said to his partner, who was already reaching into his inner coat pocket. They'd float the loss of the night as Entertainment Expenses, through their firm's checking account.

Tubbs whistled, and Crockett grinned.

"Sorry pal, your checks ain't good in these waters. You need to pay up with something else," said the aging pretty boy, Crockett.

Jack swallowed, and felt like pissing his pants, but feared the two well-dressed men might enjoy seeing that a little too much.

"Surely we can work out some sort of agreement," Jack offered. "As it is, you already have our initial cash buy-in to the game, which was a handsome amount in its own right..."

Crockett snickered, and his buddy Tubbs smiled.

"I think this dude is trying to make a plea bargain with us. Whatdya think, Son?" the man in blue asked his partner.

"Yep, and I don't think that the Old Man is gonna take kindly to such a chicken shit offer. But what do I know? He's a far better Christian than all of us put together, so I suppose there's always a window of hope."

Jack and Tom both felt their luck beginning to turn back in their favor...

Maybe...

"The Old Man?" Jack asked with a nervous chuckle. He hoped that Crockett was speaking of a kind grandfatherly-type, and perhaps one that wore glasses.

Ricardo Tubbs nodded. "Our very generous and gracious host. Lovely man. I think he'll enjoy meeting the both of you."

And on that note, Sonny Crockett whistled, and a very tall man who could have been of Welsh decent, stepped out of nowhere, along with the former Mr. Gaeta, who looked surprisingly strong despite a noticeable limp.

"Karl and Felix here are gonna escort the two of you topside, so you can discuss your future payment options with the Old Man," Crockett explained further, before he and Tubbs saluted Jack and Tom's swift departures from the cabin.

Once they were above deck, the gamblers were given a shove before their escorts took their leaves to return to parts unknown.

Both Jack and Tom stared at each other, then at the vast water surrounding the boat. It was impossible to know just how far away they were from land, so jumping over and swimming for their lives was entirely out of the question.

And then Jack noticed a large manila envelope on a table within the Pegasus' cockpit area. It was weighted down by a small stone statue of the Hindu god, Ganesh, and a silver Mont Blanc pen.

Richard Jackson Raydor, esq.

"No envelope for you, Z," Jack noted to his partner.

Tom laughed nervously. "Yeah, and I hope that's not a bad thing, either."

"My beef ain't with you, Zarek," a thick voice stated from the shadows of the upper deck. "Although it easily could be."

Both Jack and Tom looked to find a very severe looking man joining them. He wore a well-tailored white suit with black pinstripes. A long gold chain hung looped from the newcomer's pocket, making him look a lot like a Pachucho from the 1940's, minus a plumed fedora.

"Who are you?" Jack asked needlessly.

"I'm the Old Man... and I'm your worst nightmare."

Jackson Raydor figured as much. After a beat, he opened the envelope and slid out the document inside.

Divorce papers from Sharon's lawyer...

"How did you get these? Are you working for my wife?" Jack asked incredulously.

Martin Castillo remained a statue, as he rocked back on his heels. He hated the man before him, and was wanting to punch the other guy in the nose, just on general principals.

"None of that should be of any concern to you," Castillo told Jack. "What should trouble you most, is your mode of transport back to the mainland. If you sign and date the papers in your hand, then the helicopter that brought you here will return for you both, and that will be that. If you don't..."

Jack shook his head incredulously. "This is extortion!"

Castillo grinned in the moonlight, showing each of his crooked teeth. "Es verdad."

When Tom Zarek reached for a concealed pistol, the tall man named Karl reappeared and subdued the shyster lawyer, dropping him to his knees.

"No me jodas," Castillo told his _guests_. "You'll both live longer, and more enjoyably."

Jackson Raydor swallowed upon meeting his host's icy stare, then picked up the pen and signed the papers. The man named Felix, quickly reappeared on the scene, and then in a stroke of absurdity, affixed a notary seal to the divorce papers.

"After over thirty years of marriage to Sharon, I thought I knew her pretty well," Jack drawled. "Never would I have thought that she'd consort with someone such as yourself."

Castillo huffed at the newly divorced man. "You'd be surprised."

# # #

Two weeks later, in the squad room of the Major Crimes Division, Lieutenants Andy Flynn and Louie Provenza stood together, near their desks. The unit had a new case, and all the other members of their team were working their phones and computers.

Their captain had been locked in her office, alone, for a good share of the morning, with the blinds closed.

Andy would have normally been worried about Sharon, but after a messenger delivered her a thick manila envelope, the entire team heard her excited cheer a beat after the man left, and so he figured the news must have been very good– whatever it was.

"Is it just me, or does Sharon seem different, since you all returned from Miami?"

Provenza grimaced, not knowing what to say to his partner.

Surely he'd never seen or imagined their very own Darth Raydor, dancing in the night with a week-old baby in her arms, much-less kissing the child's grandfather– on more than one occasion, in open public for all the world to see...

"I'm saying that the heat got to her," Provenza quipped.

"Could be," Andy agreed with a nod.

Later, as evening closed in on the day, the man took his opportunity for one of their special and quiet moments, just between Sharon and him.

After grabbing a split of sparkling cider and two glasses from the break room, Andy made his way to Sharon's office. The blinds were still partially closed, but her door was open.

He knocked lightly, before entering the room.

The captain's back was to him, and she was bent over slightly, as she dug through a file box sitting on her desk.

As the lieutenant was admiring her beautiful form, he could not help but notice something peeking out on the small of her back, as the hem of her shirt rode up.

"Did you get a tattoo, while you were in Miami?"

Sharon jumped at Andy's words, and turned around suddenly, with great embarrassment.

"Um... yes..."

Andy smiled. "Thought so, cuz' I think that I would've noticed that, the last time we... you know..."

Sharon blushed. "I always wanted one," she said of the tattoo.

Andy grinned.

If anyone could rock a _tramp stamp_ , without it looking like one, it was Sharon Raydor.

"What's that for?" the captain asked of the bottle and glasses in Andy's hands.

"I heard you celebrating earlier, so I thought that we should toast to the moment."

"Oh."

Andy couldn't help but notice the hesitation in Sharon's voice.

"The papers you received earlier today... they were good news... I hope?"

"Wonderful news, in fact." Sharon motioned for Andy to join her on the sofa in her office. He did, and then opened the cider and poured a glass for each of them.

"Cheers!" they toasted in unison, then clinked glasses.

Sharon smiled warmly, as she met Andy's searching gaze.

"Jack signed our divorce papers, and they were officially filed this morning. It's over– I'm legally free of Jackson Raydor."

Andy swallowed his cider, then engulfed the captain in the biggest hug, ever.

"Oh my God, Sharon... this is incredible..."

She patted his back, then pulled back and smiled in agreement. "I must admit that I never thought that this day would come. I feel like it's my birthday and Christmas, all at once."

"As far as I'm concerned, it's a whole new holiday unto itself!" Andy declared with a wide grin. "How did this all happen?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but I have a few suspicions," Sharon replied with a tiny giggle. She wanted so badly to speak with Castillo, as she knew that he had to have had a hand– or a fist, in the preceding.

But first, she needed the moment with Flynn.

"It doesn't matter... all that matters is you, Sharon. God, this is wonderful– we should celebrate for real! I'm talkin' dinner, a walk on the beach, and then–"

"Andy..."

The lieutenant knew that tone, as well as the look in the woman's eyes.

"Something happened in Miami, didn't it?" he asked finally.

"Yes," Sharon admitted. She chose her words carefully, but knew that whatever she said would greatly hurt the very wonderful man before her.

Andy sighed deeply...

And her heart broke...

"We knew each other years ago," Sharon told Andy gently, then went on to explain her history with Martin Castillo. "I never thought I'd see him again, but then it turned out that Amy had an uncle that was a detective who worked under Marty, and we found each other again, and it was like no time had passed between us."

"And you share a child with him," Andy repeated Sharon's words that still echoed in his ears. He felt like a stone had taken up residence in his stomach, but he put on a brave and strong face.

"None of that goes beyond this room," the woman cautioned. "Provenza knows, as well as Rusty, of course, but I'd rather that the others not know. At least for now, alright?"

"You have my word."

"Thank you."

Andy nodded. "Are you... okay?"

Sharon hummed at his askance. "Yes. Not a day goes by that I don't think about my child, but yes. Being with Marty reopened the wound a bit, but we've found healing together, and that feels natural and good."

Andy nodded solemnly. "Do you love him?"

Sharon smiled without thinking. "Yes."

"And does he love you?"

"Very much."

Andy nodded, then hugged Sharon.

The same could have been said of him, in regard to his superior– and sometimes lover, but he could see the light and joy in Sharon's eyes when she spoke of Martin Castillo, and he knew the truth in his heart.

"He better," Andy Flynn cautioned in a light, but firm tone, before downing the contents of his glass. For a brief instant, he wished that he was drinking something stronger, but easily quashed that urge when he saw the genuine look of happiness in Sharon's eyes. "So when do I get to meet this guy?"

"In a month or two," Sharon replied. "Marty's adopted daughter and her family are relocating here for her husband's business, and he'll join them once he officially retires. Marty is originally from here– a Native Californian, and a born Dodger-fan. So, I think he's anxious to be back home."

"And with you," Andy added with a chuckle.

"We're going to take things slowly."

"No you're not."

The woman smiled wistfully, as Andy knew her all too well.

Like Rusty had once said, when Captain Sharon Raydor wanted something, she made it happen.

"As long as you're happy, that's all that matters, to me."

"I am."

Andy kissed Sharon's cheek, then refilled both of their flutes with cider. They toasted again, then the lieutenant couldn't help but ask of the captain's new ink on the small of her back.

"And here I thought the scuttlebutt going around was that you hated those birds!"

Sharon smiled warmly, not from her hated memory of the tacky pink flamingos gifted to her by her former husband, but from the wonderful sight of the real-life birds that she'd seen with her lover, at Miss Elosha's alligator farm.

 _So much life..._

 _So much promise..._

It was the perfect inspiration for the small tattoo of two adult flamingos, creating a stylized heart– with a flamingo chick in the middle. Their placement, at the small of her back– an area that is said to be a woman's power source, would mean that they served as a private, yet physical reminder of such eternal love and promise.

"It's true," Sharon openly confessed, with a hum and a smile. "I used to hate pink flamingos... but now... I kind of love them..."

#END#


End file.
